Moments
by fulofhyperness
Summary: Kiba watched in horror as his moment slipped away... Ninja fic - AU boyxboy - don't like? don't read!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer effective for all chapters: I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form.  
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**Hello hyper peoples! Welcome to the KibaNaru story that was chosen in my poll! I hope you all like it! This first chapter is based heavily on the second half of episode 33 in Shippuden. It's key to the plot, so bear with me!**

**Enjoy~!  
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The brunette ran through the village. 'He's back! I can smell him!' he thought as he ran towards the source. The man was running so fast, his faithful dog was having a problem keeping up! Suddenly he came to a stop. 'There!' he thought. He looked down at the large dog beside him. "Akamaru," he started, "what do I say to him?"

Akamaru barked, _"How should I know?"_

"I really don't know what to say! Should I tell him?" he asked, spreading some chakra around to sense what was going on.

"_If you're comfortable telling him then go ahead! Otherwise, you should wait until you're ready."_ Akamaru barked.

"Yeah, you're right buddy!" He climbed on the large canine's back, and together they jumped down. "SHINO!" he called to his teammate that was located nearby. "You're here early!" He looked around and spotted the man whose scent drove him crazy. A blonde man, with strange whisker like scars on his cheeks and the most beautiful blue eyes he'd ever seen.

"Kiba?" the blonde shouted, looking up at a brunette man with deep brown eyes and traditional fang tattoos down each of his cheeks.

Kiba feigned surprise, jumping off his large dog and running up to the blonde man. He took several sniffs of that amazing scent. "Yup, that _is_ Naruto!"

"You know by that?" Naruto said with a slightly disturbed look on his face.

"Duh man, I'm an Inuzuka! We always identify people by scent!" he said.

The large dog behind him barked (_"good cover!"_) causing Naruto to look over in its direction. His eyes widened in shock. "That dog…could it be?"

"What are you talking about? That's Akamaru!" Kiba said laughing.

"Seriously? Wow he's grown so much!" Naruto yelled.

"Really? Since we're always together, I can't really tell." Kiba said, shrugging his shoulders.

"WHAT? How is that possible! When I left, he could fit on your head!" Naruto yelled, pointing an accusatory finger.

Kiba was about to make some stupid comment, but was stopped when a female voice rang out. Both him and Naruto looked around and saw no one. Naruto started to walk towards the direction of the sound, seeking the source.

* * *

><p>Hinata walked around the corner towards her team's meeting place, when she spotted <em>him<em>. She whipped herself back around and pressed her body against the fence. 'It's Naruto! He's back! Oh God, I'm not ready to tell him! But I told myself I would the next time I saw him, even if I don't feel ready! Oh, what should I do? Should I tell him? Oh what am I getting myself into? I need to tell him! I need to tell hi-'

"Oh, it's Hinata!" Naruto said, popping his head around the fence. Hinata fainted.

"Why do you always faint around him?" Kiba yelled playfully at the unconscious girl.

"She doesn't always faint around me!" Naruto said. He pondered for a moment, and a look came over him that words cannot describe. "Ok, maybe she does."

Kiba laughed at his blonde friend. Naruto looked down at the girl on the ground. She had beautiful long purple hair, and lilac eyes that held power. She was actually quite gorgeous! "I wonder why she faints around me?" Naruto wondered aloud.

Kiba looked at the blonde. He couldn't help but notice how handsome the man had become. He had always thought he was cute when they were kids, but now…Kiba was in love with his blonde friend. He knew that, but he wasn't sure how to tell him! He was actually pretty sure Naruto wasn't even gay, what with the way the man always chased Sakura around.

Naruto knelt down as Hinata began to wake up, cradling her head in his lap. "Hey Hinata, are you ok?" he asked, concern laced in his voice.

Kiba looked down at his friend and teammate, noticing she had determination set in her eyes. All Kiba could do was watch in horror as his moment slipped away.

"Naruto, I-i l-l-love you!" Hinata said, looking up into impossibly blue orbs.

**Hooray for my always incredibly short first chapter! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy~!**

Naruto stared in shock at Hinata. No one had ever told him that they loved him! Especially not a cute girl like Hinata! He knew he was attractive, and yet it felt strange, wrong even, as she reached up and cupped his face. "N-naruto, say something." she said.

Naruto snapped himself out of his daze, unsure of what exactly he should say. He had always heard that actions speak louder than words, so he chose that route. He leaned down and pressed his lips against the slightly chapped ones of Hinata. It felt strange to him, but then again, this was his first real kiss! 'Maybe it's supposed to feel this way.' the thought as he pulled away from the girl.

Kiba was frozen in place. He had just watched the man he loves kiss some girl! Ok, so it wasn't just some girl, it was his teammate, but somehow that made it worse.

Hinata looked up at Naruto, the man she'd been in love with since she could remember. "Naruto?"

"Yeah?" he said, looking back down at the girl.

"Does this mean you like me too?" he asked hopefully.

Naruto had never actually thought about it. 'Do I like her? She's pretty, and kind, and helpful, and powerful. What's not to like?' he thought. "Yeah, Hinata, I like you too."

Kiba could feel the beginning of tears well up in his eyes as he watched the scene before him. He couldn't take it anymore. He ran. He ran until he couldn't run anymore. He didn't care where he went, so long as it was away from them.

* * *

><p>Akamaru sat there watching Naruto and Hinata, knowing the effect it would have on his master, when suddenly his master ran. Akamaru took off as well, barking all the way, trying to get the man to come back.<p>

"Kiba?" Hinata started, getting up off the ground and running to where the man had been standing. "Kiba! Come back!" she shouted after him.

Naruto stood and walked over to stand next to the woman, placing an arm around her shoulders. Again, it felt off. "Uh, Hinata? What's wrong with him?" Naruto asked.

Hinata stared after her teammate. "I-i don't know what's wrong with him." she said, only slightly confused.

Kiba ran blindly on, entering the forest, not paying attention. He caught his foot on an upturned root and smashed into the ground. Kiba's eyes welled with tears as he drew his knees up to his chest, not caring that he was on the ground, or that he might be hurt.

Akamaru came to a stop, sniffing the air, searching for his master. He heard the sobs before he caught the scent. Running, he came upon Kiba, curled in a ball on the ground. _"Kiba?"_ he barked.

Kiba rubbed his eyes and looked up at his faithful dog. "Akamaru-" he choked out, "why did I even believe that I had a chance with him?" Tears began to fall from the man's eyes again.

"_Kiba, why are you so sad? There are plenty of others out there that would love to be with you!"_ Akamaru barked urgently, trying to calm the brunette down.

"None of them are him though." Kiba sobbed.

"_Why is he so important?" _Akamaru barked, placing a paw on his master's back.

"Are you kidding?" Kiba yelled at the canine, sitting up. "He's perfect! Ever since he beat us at the chunin exams, I haven't been able to get him out of my mind!" Kiba was beginning to wave his arms around like a crazy person.

Akamaru barked back, _"Ok, so, why not win him back?"_

Kiba drew his legs back up to his chin, "I can't do that to Hinata! She's so amazing, and she's been in love with him for much longer than I have." Kiba began to sob again, burying his head in his arms around his knees.

"_True."_ was all Akamaru could muster.

Kiba lifted his head at the lack of comforting words, sniffed a few times, and wiped his eyes. "I love him Akamaru, I really do."

"_Then why not try to be happy for him? Why not help him gain happiness? If you really love him, you'll want him to be happy, even if it's not with you."_ Kiba's canine friend barked.

"You're right. I should just be happy for them. Naruto has finally found some happiness, and so has Hinata, one of my greatest friends!" Kiba wiped his eyes, and pulled himself off the ground. He looked around, noticing how dark it was. "I wonder what time it is." he said.

Akamaru looked around himself. _"I don't know, but whatever time it is we should really get home."_ came the barked reply.

The pair headed off into the woods, using their innate sense of direction to find their way home.

* * *

><p>Kiba walked through the door of the Inuzuka compound. Tsume, his mother, looked up and noticed how puffy her son's eyes were. However, Hana, Kiba's sister, beat Tsume to the punch. "Kiba? What's wrong?"<p>

Kiba looked over at his family, wiping his eyes once more. "Oh, not much." he said solemnly.

"You sure? It seems like you've been crying!" Tsume said, crushing her son in a strong hug. Kiba reached out, patting his mother heavily on the arm. "What is it honey?" she asked.

He pointed a finger desperately at his head. "AIR!" he choked out. She immediately released the brunette man and watched as he doubled over, gasping in his air. "Geez mom!" he yelled, laughing slightly.

She joined him in laughter, "So, does this mean you're feeling better?" she asked.

"Yeah, mom, thanks!" he laughed. Kiba looked over at the clock, "You know what, it's getting kinda late, I think I'm gonna go to bed." he said, making his way to the stairs, Akamaru at his heels.

The brunette walked in his room and locked the door behind him. He pushed his back against it and slid down to the floor. Akamaru turned around and cocked his head to the side and stared at Kiba.

"_Oh, Kiba," _he started, moving to curl up on the end of the bed, _"come to bed, you'll feel better in the morning."_

Kiba heaved himself off the floor and moved to the bed, stripping of his clothes **(A/N: yes he sleeps in the buff)** and crawled under the covers, to have unsavory dreams of a certain blonde…and a certain purple-haired friend.

**Wow, what a shitty chapter! Oh well, let's hope it gets better, huh? Please review! Ideas are much appreciated!**

**Thanks to "all" of my supporters**

**MoonWingsYuki  
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	3. Chapter 3

**Enjoy~!**

A light pounding on the door roused Kiba from his horrible dream. "Kiba!" he heard his mother yell, "Get up! You've got company!"

Kiba lifted himself, his eyes still blurry with sleep. He looked around searching for his clock. 'Who the hell could be here at…' he spotted the glowing red numbers of his clock, 'oh, I guess it is eleven in the morning.' Kiba sighed as he heaved himself and planted his feet on the ground. He lifted his body off the bed and moved over to the dresser to get some clothes. He pulled on a random pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, opened his door and yawned as he stumbled slightly down the stairs.

Kiba walked out into the living room to see Hana talking to someone that had their back to him. 'I'd recognize that mop of blonde hair anywhere!' he mentally shouted. "Naruto?"

The blonde turned around, concern flashing in the pools of blue, making Kiba's heart squeeze. "Kiba! Hey, I just wanted to check up on you. You ran out pretty quick yesterday." Naruto said.

"I'll give you guys some privacy." Hana said, leaving the room.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine." Kiba said while looking at the floor, nudging a random bit of dirt with his toe.

"Is this about Hinata?" Naruto questioned. "Because, if you like her, I can back off." Naruto reached a hand out and placed it on the man's shoulder.

Kiba was suddenly aware of how much like shit he must look. He ran a hand through his hair in a poor attempt to tame it. "Uh, no, it's not that Naruto, but thanks for the offer." he said, a faint chuckle hidden in his voice.

"Oh, ok, then what was wrong?" Naruto asked, a frown marring his features.

Kiba looked up, once again entranced by those magnificent blue eyes. "I-I, I guess I-I just…I was just shocked, I guess."

"Shocked about what?" Naruto asked, lifting one eyebrow and cocking his head cutely to the side.

Kiba gathered the strength to pull his gaze away from Naruto's eyes. "About Hinata making a move, that's all."

"But, if that's all, then why did you run off?" the blonde asked.

"Geez Naruto! Why the hell do you even care?" Kiba shouted.

Naruto withdrew a step, a small flicker of fear flashing through his eyes. "Kiba, I care because I care about you!"

"But, why Naruto?" Kiba said, slumping his shoulders and shifting his gaze back to the floor.

"Because you're my friend!" Naruto said softly.

Those were the words that sealed Kiba's fate. Friend. Kiba snorted and swiveled around using the balls of his feet. Kiba cast one last glance over his shoulder at the blonde. "I don't want to be your friend." he whispered as he walked away, back up the stairs, and slammed the door to his room.

Naruto stood there in shock. 'He doesn't want to be my friend?' Naruto felt his old friend, the black cloud of depression, setting over his head. 'And why would he want to be my friend? I'm nothing special! He's got plenty of friends!'

Tsume walked into the living room, a book in hand, to find a near lifeless blonde standing in the middle of the room. "Um, hello?"

Naruto looked up and made eye contact with the woman. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll just leave now." The blonde started his way to the door.

"Wait." Tsume called out. "You're Naruto, right?"

The blonde turned back around to face the woman. "Yeah, why do you ask?" he wondered.

A cheerful smile played on Tsume's lips. "Oh, it's just that my son speaks so fondly of you! I've always known who you where, but I've just wanted to meet you! To see who this great man was!" he gushed, setting down her book and crossing the room to stand in front of the blonde.

"Really?" Naruto said, completely confused.

"Oh yes! It sure is a pleasure to meet you." she said, grabbing Naruto's hand and shaking it with vigor.

Naruto stood dumbfounded, his entire body shaking in Tsume's strong grip. "Uh, thanks. It's nice to meet you too." he said. Once his hand was released he made his way to the door.

"You're always welcome here Naruto!" Tsume called after the man as he exited the compound.

* * *

><p>Naruto walked down the street, kicking a small rock and pondering what happened. "NARUTO!" a voice boomed.<p>

The blonde looked up in a search for the source. He located it. A young man, about a year older than himself stood up the road from him. The man had long brown hair, and pale lilac eyes. "Neji!" the blonde called back. "What's up man?"

Neji Hyuga walked to meet Naruto. "What's this I hear about you and Lady Hinata?" he questioned.

"Oh, that." Naruto said, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Well, I saw her for the first time since I got back, and she told me she loved me!"

"And, what are your intentions?" Neji asked.

"M-my intentions?" Naruto sputtered.

"Yes, do you just wish to use her affections or are you willing to take this relationship all the way?" Neji said seriously.

"Uh, well." Naruto started. "You see, I'm not entirely sure how I fell about her." he said. "Don't get me wrong, she's nice an all, but things always feel weird when I'm with her. Don't worry Neji, I'm not just trying to get in her pants!" he laughed.

Neji smiled and patted the blonde on the back. "Ok, well, you've always been a trustworthy guy! I just don't want to see either of you get hurt." the brunette said.

Naruto laughed. "Yeah, I won't hurt Hinata if I can help it." Naruto laced his fingers behind his head. "I just get the feeling that something isn't quite right when I'm with her."

Neji looked over the blonde. "Well, maybe you're not attracted to her." The pair began to walk down the road. "Let's discuss this some more, maybe over ramen?" the brunette baited.

"HOORAY!" called the blonde, thrusting a fist in the air. Neji laughed as Naruto ran down the road to his favorite ramen shop.

The pair walked in and took a couple seats at the counter. They ordered their ramen, and Neji turned to look at his friend. "So, more about Hinata."

"Well, I guess you may be right when you say I might not be attracted to her. I mean, I know she is beautiful, but it just never feels right. I don't understand." Naruto slammed his head into the counter.

Neji pondered for a moment as Naruto grabbed the glass of water placed in front of him. "Well, did you ever consider the fact that you might be gay?" he asked.

Naruto spat the water out of his mouth. "What?"

"Well, after the whole Sasuke incident, I always just kind of assumed." Neji said, his cheeks reddening.

Naruto thought for a moment. 'Me? Gay?' he thought. "Well, I guess it's possible. I mean, I've never even had a sex dream about a woman."

Neji felt his blush deepen at the nonchalant way Naruto spoke of sex dreams. "Have you ever…well, you know….had one, a-about a…um…guy?" he asked.

Naruto laughed at how flustered Neji was. "Actually yes. On several occasions for that matter." A few moments passed before it dawned on Naruto. "Holy Shit! I'm gay!" he yelled.

Neji looked over at the beautiful blonde man. "Soo…those dreams of yours…" the brunette started.

"What about them?" Naruto asked.

"Who were they about?" Neji was unable to make eye contact with the man sitting next to him.

Naruto simply cocked an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

Neji blushed even harder. "Well, I just want you to be happy. And if you had a guy in mind, it might be easier for Hinata to take the news." he bluffed.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense." Naruto laughed. "Well, let's see." The blonde tapped his chin as he thought. "I've had dreams about Sasuke, and Kiba, and….um….well…." a firm blush stretched across Naruto's tan face, "you."

Neji's blush had reached his hairline at this point. "Oh, I see."

"Yeah." Naruto laughed. "I know you said I should have a guy in mind. Well, Sasuke is not an option, seeing he's gone. Kiba..well, Kiba hates me." Neji raised a brow at that one. "And you, you're straight."

Neji looked over at the blonde. "What makes you say that?"

"What with how much time you spend with Tenten." Naruto said.

Neji laughed. "Tenten and I are just teammates. Actually, I am gay."

Naruto had to do a double-take. "Really?"

"Yeah." said Neji, just as their ramen arrived.

Naruto sighed. "Hey Neji, will you be my 'Let's let down Hinata gently' date?" he asked.

**I love making Neji gay! It's so fun! Hey-o hyper readers, I am in love with this chapter! I hope you like it at least half as much as I do! Please review!**

**Thanks to "all" of my supporters**

****MoonWingsYuki****

**_(wow...Chapter 3 and only one supporter...I thought it would be more by now...*sigh* oh well)_  
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	4. Chapter 4

**Enjoy~!**

Kiba sat in his room, thinking of the blonde he let slip from his grasp. Once again, a light knock roused him from his trance. "Kiba!"

Kiba lifted himself from his bed and walked over to open his door. "What is it mom?" he asked.o

Tsume looked over her son. "That was Naruto, yes? Why the hell did you just leave him standing in the middle of the living room?"

Kiba sighed. "It's a long story mother."

"Well, go apologize to the young man! He looked fairly dejected when he left." Tsume said, waving a fist in her son's face.

"Fine. Fine." Kiba sighed, shutting his door to put on more suitable clothes. He dressed in his normal fashion of black pants, a mesh shirt, and a leather jacket. He pulled on his shoes, tied on his headband and made his way out of the house.

He walked aimlessly down the road. 'Where could Naruto have gone?' he wondered. He looked down at his faithful canine sidekick. "Akamaru, see if you can pick up Naruto's scent." he ordered.

Akamaru sniffed around and barked, _"I smell him, as well as Neji."_ Akamaru took off down the path.

'Neji?' he wondered running after the dog.

Akamaru ran all the way to the ramen stand. Kiba was about to pass through the flaps when he heard Naruto's voice. "Holy Shit! I'm gay!" he yelled. 'He's gay?' Inner Kiba yelled.

"Soo…those dreams of yours…" Neji's voice said. 'Dreams?' wondered Kiba.

"What about them?" Naruto asked.

"Who were they about?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I just want you to be happy. And if you had a guy in mind, it might be easier for Hinata to take the news."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. Well, let's see, I've had dreams about Sasuke, and Kiba, and….um….well….you." Naruto's voice seemed hesitant. 'He's had dreams about me?' Inner Kiba did a happy dance

"Oh, I see."

"Yeah. I know you said I should have a guy in mind. Well, Sasuke is not an option, seeing he's gone. Kiba..well, Kiba hates me, and you, you're straight." Naruto said. 'He thinks I hate him?' Kiba thought, mentally beating himself up. 'He must have heard me when I said I didn't want to be his friend!'

"What makes you say that?"

"What with how much time you spend with Tenten."

"Tenten and I are just teammates. Actually, I am gay."

Naruto had to do a double-take. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Hey Neji, will you be my 'Let's let down Hinata gently' date?"

"NO!" Kiba yelled as he burst through the flaps.

Naruto and Neji turned in their seats to look at the Inuzuka. "Kiba?" Naruto questioned.

"Naruto!" Kiba yelled, grabbing the blonde's shoulders, "Don't go out with Neji!"

Neji crossed his arms. "Who the hell are you to tell him who he can date and who he can't?"

"Yeah Kiba! It's not like you're my friend or anything!" Naruto yelled bitterly.

Kiba lowered his hands to Naruto's arms, leaned forward, and rested his head on the blonde's strong shoulder. "Naruto, that's not what I meant when I said it."

Naruto blushed at the proximity. "You said you didn't want to be my friend. It seems pretty clear to me." Naruto said, placing one hand timidly on Kiba's back.

"Seems clear to me too." Neji growled as he watched the display.

"When I said I didn't want to be your friend," Kiba sighed, "all I meant was that I didn't want to be just a friend!" Kiba lifted his head to stare into the eyes that he loved so much. "Naruto, I have been attracted to you since…since…well, I realized it after the chunin exams, but who knows how long I've been in love with you!" The Inuzuka was ranting at this point.

Shock settled over Naruto's face. "I-Kiba." was all Naruto could enunciate. He couldn't believe this was happening.

Neji's eyes widened, he finally got his shot, and he was not about to let it slip through his fingers because of this mutt! "Naruto," he called, "don't listen to him!" the Hyuga said, slightly panicked.

Naruto shifted his gaze to Neji, then back to Kiba, then back to Neji. He pushed Kiba's arms off of him and ran. 'What the hell? Not three days ago I thought that no one would love me in this way! Now I have to break a girl's heart and chose between good friends of mine!'

Naruto was running through the village, not paying attention when he ran into the girl he was just thinking about. Literally.

SMACK! was the sound heard as the two bodies collided. Naruto looked around, spotting Hinata on the ground. "Oh Hinata! Sorry about that!" He said, lifting himself and offering a hand to the female Hyuga.

"N-naruto! I-I was just looking for you!" she said, stuttering comparably less than usual.

Naruto looked down into those hopeful eyes. 'Oh man, this is harder than I thought it would be…and I thought this was going to be incredibly hard!'

"You see, I w-was thinking that we should go on a d-d-ate!" the woman said.

"Hinata, I actually need to talk to you about that." Naruto said, unable to look at the woman before him.

"Ok, what is it Naruto?" she asked.

"I feel awful about this Hinata, but-"

Hinata cut the man off. "I knew it! Naruto, I understand, I know you could do so much better than me! I mean, I may be knocked off as head of my clan by my younger sister! There are women so much more deserving to be your girlfrie-" It was Hinata's turn to be cut off.

"Hinata, stop. It's not that! You're actually very attractive, and I couldn't ask for a better girlfriend! The thing is, I don't want a girlfriend." Naruto's face contorted as he started to confess. Hinata looked on in confusion. "When you told me that you loved me, well, you were the first person to ever say that! I took advantage of your feelings in order to feel something I never thought I'd feel. But, from the moment I kissed you, I knew something was off." Naruto placed a hand on the woman's shoulder in order to brace her for the next blow. "Hinata, I've come to the realization that I'm…well…I'm gay!" Naruto closed his eyes, unable to look at the look of disgust he knew would come.

"Naruto," Hinata said softly, cupping the man's face in her hand, "Naruto look at me. Naruto slowly opened his eyes, he saw no disgust, only understanding. "Naruto, I always had my suspicions; especially after the Sasuke incident. I just needed you to know – I needed to get the confession off my chest!"

Naruto looked into the watery eyes. "Hinata, I'm sorry, I really am. I like you, but I cannot return your feelings."

Hinata leaned up to give the man a soft peck on the lips. "I understand Naruto. I love you, and I just want you to be happy. So please, go and find a man that can make you happy!"

Naruto hugged the woman tightly, "I will Hinata, I will."

**Woot! Another chapter up! Now that I'm past the beginning, I'm getting on a roll! Thank god! I was really hoping that I wouldn't have severe writer's block throughout the story like I did in "Camp"!**

**Please review!**

**Thanks to all of my supporters**

****MoonWingsYuki****

****Genshishiolove  
><strong>**


	5. Chapter 5

**To the few of you actually reading this, you may have noticed by now that there are mistakes galore, well, my beta quit on me, and I try to do it myself, but it's really hard to read my own work...so yeah, if there is anyone who'd like to be my new beta, please send me a pm!  
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**Enjoy~!**

Naruto had let Hinata down, but that still left the issue of Neji v. Kiba. 'What the hell should I do?' he wondered.

SMACK! "GODDAMNIT! WHY DO I KEEP RUNNING INTO PEOPLE!" the blonde yelled as his backside connected with the ground again.

"I dunno. Maybe you should take better care to watch where you are going." said a deep voice above Naruto.

The blonde looked up into dark-rimmed teal eyes partially hidden in a mop of blood red hair. "Kazekage-sama." Naruto said, getting up and bowing.

"Naruto, how many times have I told you to call me Gaara?" the man said, chuckling slightly, as he reached out a hand to the blonde ninja.

Naruto graciously took that hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. "Ok, Gaara. When did you get into the village?" he asked curiously.

"Just a few minutes ago, actually." he said after pulling the blonde up, leaving their bodies in close proximity.

"Oh, awesome! So, what brings you here this time?" Naruto enthused.

"I'm not actually sure," Gaara said, turning to face the road, "the Hokage sent me a message that said the matter was too sensitive to discuss in a letter. I'm on my way to Hokage tower now, care to join me?"

"Hell yeah!" Naruto laughed. He always enjoyed the company of his redheaded friend. The pair walked in a comfortable silence all the way to the tower, shoulders touching. Naruto sighed.

Gaara turned his head towards his friend. "What's wrong Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto sighed again. "Eh, there's just so much going on." he said, slumping his shoulders.

"Like what? We're friends, you can speak to me about it!" Gaara said, excitement that he was about to be a shoulder to lean on glittered in his eyes, but otherwise made itself unknown.

"Well, I've come to the realization that I'm gay." Naruto said, peeking over to see Gaara's reaction.

Gaara's face hardened, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Naruto. "Gaara?" he probed.

Gaara looked over at the blonde. "Y-you're gay?" the man choked out.

"Uh, yeah." Naruto sighed. "Does that bother you?" he asked. Gaara simply shook his head no. "Good, because I really need someone to talk to about this that doesn't just want to fuck me." Naruto ran an exasperated hand through his hair.

'Oh, if you only knew Naruto.' was the only thought passing through Gaara's mind. "Yeah, I'll bet!" Gaara laughed, feigning amusement.

The pair stopped in front of the large tower. "Well, I guess this is where I get off!" Naruto laughed. "Maybe we can hang out later! You know where to find me!" the blonde called as he ran off, leaving Gaara to his meeting.

Naruto walked on, too tired to deal with anymore people today. He avoided them all like the plague as he made his way home, using rooftops. He landed on the landing outside his apartment, and moved to the door, inserted his keys, and opened it. Walking inside, he shut the door and plopped himself on the couch.

Just as Naruto got comfortable, there came a knock. 'Well, now who could that be?' The blonde looked over at the door. "Who is it?" he called, not wanting to get up.

"It's Kakashi." a voice called.

"It's open!" Naruto called back, trusting the man completely. The door creaked open and a man with spiky silver hair, a mask covering most of his face, and his headband covering one of his eyes, came into the blonde's field of vision. "Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well, you missed training." he said nonchalantly. "Remember, You and Sakura were supposed to fight me to see how much you'd grown."

"Oh yeah!" Naruto said, face palming.

Kakashi walked over to Naruto and sat down on the couch next to him. "What's up Naruto? You seem to have something heavy on your mind!"

Naruto sighed, annoyed that he was about to explain this again! "It's just that I've only been back for like two days and I've already broken hearts and have people fighting over me! It's getting to the point that it's really stressful!"

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at his former student and clapped the boy on the shoulder. "Well, Naruto, it seems like your problems aren't so bad. Hell, I'm sure there are several people that would kill for that problem!"

Naruto laughed lightly. "Yeah, true, but I've got other problems, and now this on top of it!" The blond sighed. " I just don't know what to do."

BANG! BANG! "Now who is it!" Naruto groaned as he got up to open the door.

The door swung open just as he reached it to reveal a young looking woman with amber colored eyes and her blonde hair held in two low sitting pigtails. It was their short-tempered Hokage, Tsunade.

"Baa-chan!" Naruto yelled, pointing a finger at the woman, "You broke my door! Why would you do that?"

Tsunade's eye twitched at the nickname."You brat!" she yelled, drawing her fist back, making Naruto flinch.

"I'm sorry!" the blonde yelled, throwing his arms over his head in defense.

Tsunade held herself back, eye still twitching as she lowered her arm. "Listen brat, the Akatsuki has made a threat against you, they know you've come back. So, I called the Kazekage in." Naruto nodded his head in understanding. "I'm going to be sending you to Suna. There, you will follow the Kazekage's orders." A grin spread across Naruto's face as he thought about what it all meant. "You will be called back when we know you're safe."

"But, Hokage-sama," Kakashi butt in, "won't the Akatsuki just follow Naruto to Suna?"

"We thought about that. The Kazekage brought you a sand headband, you will travel by night and disguise yourself as a random ninja from the sand. Hopefully, that should throw them off."

Kakashi thought about this, 'Somehow I doubt they're that dumb.' He glanced at Naruto. "So, Naruto, I guess this means your test will have to wait." he sighed.

Naruto looked up at his former sensei. "Yeah." Truthfully, the thought had never occurred to him.

"Anyway, you'd better get packed up Naruto." Tsunade said as she picked the door up and placed it back in its frame.

Naruto sighed, once again, and walked away back to his room to gather his stuff, completely ignoring Kakashi. "You know this means you can't wear orange, right?" Kakashi laughed, following the young man into the bedroom.

Naruto did a double-take. "WHAT?" he yelled.

Kakashi laughed at the blonde. "Yeah, the orange is very recognizable, and it's well known that you love to wear it!"

Naruto stuck out his lip in a pout. Kakashi looked over the adorable face, 'Well, I can see why people are fighting over him.' the man laughed to himself. "Well, I'll leave you to your packing!" he yelled, sending a slight wave in the blonde's direction and disappearing from sight with a slight 'poof'.

Naruto walked over to his closet, grabbing his backpack out. "Well, I guess I won't need to pack much. If I'm completely changing my wardrobe and moving to Suna, I can get clothes better suited to the climate there!" he said to himself. He plopped the back on the bed and opened it. He began to pull out several kunai and shuriken, as well as weapon scrolls. He pulled out a couple mesh shirts, and couple pairs of black pants, as well as a few black t-shirts. "What else will I need?" he asked the bag. Naruto's eyes opened and he pointed a finger in the air as an idea came. He walked over to the drawer and pulled out a few medicine bottles given to him by Sakura, and piled them in the bag. Finally, he grabbed the picture of team 7 and pulled it out of the frame. Naruto folded the picture and put it in the pocket of his black pants.

Naruto lifted his backpack and pulled it on, looking around the room trying to decide what else to get. Looking down, he realized he was still wearing his orange jacket. He pulled the backpack off, followed by his jacket. He looked over the bag, checked that his sleeping bag was still attached, pulled it onto his back, and made his way to Hokage tower.

**BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I feel evil! Kiba finally confesses his feelings, and Naruto has to go to Suna! What will happen next? Is Gaara in love with Naruto too? What about the rescue Gaara arc? Find out the answers to basically none of these questions in the next installment of "Moments"!**

**Please reivew!**

**Thanks to all of my supporters**

****MoonWingsYuki****

******Genshishiolove******

**Living Paradox****  
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	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to the most awesomest beta in the world: ANARI CROSS!**

**Enjoy~!**

Naruto barged into the Hokage's office without so much as a knock. "Hey Baa-chan! I'm here!" he called, a fox-like grin plastered on his face. Inside, Tsunade sat behind her desk, and in front of it was Gaara and his two siblings: his sister, Temari had teal eyes similar to Gaara, blond hair that she held in four ponytails, and a large fan strapped to her back; and his brother Kankuro who had small brown eyes, spiky brown hair, kabuki makeup, and held a large scroll on his back that held his puppets.

Tsunade's eye twitched. "I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT BRAT!" she screamed, punching Naruto sending him flying through the wall, causing all three of the sand siblings to widen their eyes in shock.

Temari walked through the hole in the wall, approaching the blonde's body. "N-naruto?" she called. "Are you ok?"

Naruto groaned, lifting a hand to rub his head. "Yeah, I'm ok." He picked himself up from the rubble. As soon as he was upright he ran back into the office. "GEEZ BAA-CHAN! YOU DON'T HAVE TO HIT SO HARD!"

A large sweat drop appeared on each of the sand siblings' faces. "Does this happen often?" Kankuro ventured.

"Unfortunately, yes." Tsunade sighed, walking over to Naruto and pulling him into a bear hug. "But I still love the damn brat." she laughed. Naruto's fox grin reappeared as he laughed, hugging the woman back. "Ok, anyway, like I told you before, you are going to be disguised as a sand-nin on your way to Suna." she told the blonde.

"Okay baa-chan!" Naruto called. He looked over at Gaara. "So, um, how should I change my appearance?" he asked.

The siblings looked at the boy. "What do you mean?" Kankuro asked.

"Well, you three are the only sand-nin I know! I'm asking you so that I can be convincing." he cocked his head to the side, causing Temari to blush at the adorableness of the young man.

"Well, I guess there's no real 'look' to a sand-nin. Just change your appearance a bunch, and we'll give you a sand headband." Kankuro said.

Naruto nodded and performed the necessary signs. When the smoke cleared, there stood a man in Naruto's clothes but was about two inches taller, had blood red hair that went to his shoulders, jade green eyes, and no markings on his cheeks.

"Wow, great job Naruto!" Kankuro called.

Gaara walked over to the young man, holding a head band. Naruto took it and wrapped it around his arm. Gaara coughed, causing the former blonde to cock an eyebrow. The Kazekage pointed to Naruto's forehead. The green-eyed man reached up and realized he was still wearing his leaf headband.

Reaching behind him, Naruto untied the knot holding the headband up and put it in his bag, unwilling to leave it behind. "Ok, I guess that's it!" Naruto called in a voice about an octave lower than his own. "Shall we go?"

The siblings were still in shock at how awesome Naruto's disguise was, even the voice. "Uh, yeah, I guess." Kankuro finally said, confused as to why he was the only one answering Naruto's questions. "Wait, what shall we call him?" he asked, turning to face his siblings.

"Uh, how about Nami?" Naruto said.

"Nami?" Temari asked.

"Yeah, it's short for Namikaze, my father's last name." Naruto said proudly.

"Then why is your last name Uzumaki?" Kankuro asked, completely confused.

Naruto beamed, "The Third Hokage gave me my mother's last name because he thought it would be dangerous if people knew I was the Fourth's son."

"Ok, Nami it is." Gaara said, chuckling at how proud Naruto was of his lineage. The Kazekage made his way to the door of the office. "Let's go guys." he said.

The four shinobi headed out of the Konoha gates and headed for Suna. The trip would take about two days time. They would stop and spend the night in Tani in the River Country, and hit Suna in the Wind Country the next day.

The trip was quiet as they jumped through the trees. No one said a word, and Nami was getting bored. He sighed heavily, causing Gaara to look back at the fake-redhead. He slowed his pace slightly until he was beside Nami. "What's up Nar-I mean Nami?" he asked.

"Oh nothing, I'm just bored…" Nami sighed, glancing over at Gaara.

"Well, aren't you used to this? I mean, you are a ninja." the Kazekage stated.

"Well, I've been with Jiraiya for a couple years, and we always talked while we walked." Nami laughed. His face suddenly became sad. "And before that, there was always Sasuke…" his voice trailed off.

Gaara turned his head to look forward once again, hating how much one person could make his friend hurt so much. He shook his head, "Well, what do you want to talk about?"

Nami looked over at the man and raised an eyebrow, "You really want to talk?"

Gaara chuckled softly, "Sure, you are my friend after all."

Nami stared at the other man. "I love it when you laugh." he said dreamily, making Gaara blush. "You should do it more often."

Gaara turned away, not wanted Nami to see his blush. "He only ever seems to do that around you!" Kankuro yelled behind him. Gaara felt hid blush deepen.

Nami eyed the Kazekage wearily. "You didn't answer my question." Gaara stated, still not looking at the former-blonde.

"Question?" Nami asked.

"Yes, my question, what do you want to talk about?" Gaara said, feeling his blush starting to subside.

"Oh, that question!" Nami laughed. "Hmmm." The young man tapped his chin. "How about what will happen once we reach Suna! Will I stay Nami?" he asked.

Gaara looked over at the young man. "Well, once we're inside Suna's walls, you should be able to be normal. You'll keep your current rank, and do in-village mission for the Sand."

"In-village missions?" Nami groaned.

Gaara laughed at Nami's antics. "Yes, the whole point is to not be noticeable…you can't achieve that if you're always leaving the village!"

"Hey, I see Tani!" Temari called from the front. "We should be there any minute!"

"And not a moment too soon!" Kankuro replied. "It's starting to get dark."

The quartet walked up to the front gate of the village, and were stopped by a pair of guards. "What business do you seek." one of them asked.

Gaara moved to the front of the group. "I am the Kazekage, we are heading back to our village and require a night of rest." he said.

The two guards bowed graciously to the Sand leader. "Of course Kazekage-sama." said the second guard. "I'll lead you to the hotel immediately."

The sand-nin followed the guard through the small village to the hotel. They walked inside and ordered a pair of rooms. Temari and Gaara stayed in one, Kankuro and Nami in the other.

Once inside their room, Nami dropped his disguise. He swiveled his head to each side, cracking his neck. "Ah, it feels good to be Naruto again!" he said.

Kankuro laughed. "Yeah, I'll bet!"

"So, was it true what you said? About Gaara's not laughing?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Yeah, actually it is." Kankuro replied. "He never laughs at home! He's like one of those guards in England, he won't laugh no matter what you do!" The brunette sighed. "Although, he only began to smile a few years ago. So I'm assuming it's going to be baby steps with him."

Naruto stared at the other man. "Really?" The blonde was baffled by the concept being presented to him.

Kankuro looked over at the blonde seriously. "Yeah, let's hope you can help him again." he mumbled under his breath.

The comment however did not go unnoticed by Naruto. Kankuro pulled his shirt off. and laid down on his bed. "We'd better get some sleep. If we want to make it to Suna by nightfall, we have to leave early in the morning."

Naruto mirrored Kankuro's actions, pulling the blanket up to his chin. 'I helped Gaara?'

**Hey, this was fun to write, but as I read over it, I find a distinct lack of Kiba….maybe he'll show up in the next one!**

**Please, please review! I need them to keep writing! It takes less than 30 seconds! So please, just review!  
><strong>

**Thanks to all of my supporters**

****MoonWingsYuki****

******Genshishiolove******

**Living Paradox**

**naruxkibalovr**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, everyone, my amazing beta ANARI CROSS is back! I'm so happy! I love you Anari! A special thanks goes out to you!  
><strong>

**Enjoy~!**

Kiba sulked around the village. 'Naruto ran! I told him my feelings, and he ran!' The young brunette was so wrapped up in his own world, that he didn't even notice someone calling his name. It wasn't until a firm hand came to rest on his shoulder that he turned around. "Shikamaru?" he asked the man behind him. The man had soft brown eyes, and very dark brown hair that was held in a high ponytail.

"Hey Kiba! Dude, I've been hollering your name for the better part of 5 minutes! Where the hell happened?" Shikamaru Nara half-yelled.

Kiba looked at the other man with sorrow filled eyes. "Dude. I'm in love! I finally confessed my feelings for this person, and they ran! They fucking ran! How the hell am I supposed to interpret that?" Kiba was once again, waving his arms around like a crazy person.

"Tsk, how troublesome." Shikamaru sighed. "And _how_ exactly did you tell him?" he asked.

"Him?" Kiba said incredulously, whipping his eyes in all directions, panic slowly setting in. "Who said anything about a guy?"

"Really? You're going to ask how me, the genius of Konoha, figured out that one of his best friends was gay?" It was Shikamaru's turn to be incredulous.

Kiba sighed in defeat. "Yeah, you're right, nevermind." Kiba looked down. "Well, to answer your question, I kinda panicked! Someone else was confessing their feelings for him, and I had already watched my moment slip away once, I was not about to do it again!"

"So, basically, you ran and yelled 'I love you!' at this guy, he ran, and you're clueless as to why?" Shikamaru said, raising an eyebrow.

Kiba looked up, "Ok, so maybe it's not such a mystery. But it still doesn't stop me from wondering what he's thinking!"

"Well, maybe you should go and ask him!" Shikamaru said.

"I don't know where he went…" Kiba's voice drifted off as he thought about where the blonde would have gone. "Do you know where he is?"

"How would I? You never told me who he was." Shikamaru deadpanned.

Kiba scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I guess I just kinda figured that if you knew I was gay, you'd have figured out who I like!"

"There is a big difference between noticing you didn't like women and noticing who makes you swoon." Shikamaru said.

"True." Kiba said.

"So," Shikamaru prompted.

"So what?" Kiba could really be an idiot sometimes.

"Who is it?" the lazy genius said.

"Oh! It's…well, uh…I-I like, um Naruto." Kiba said, lowering his eyes in embarrassment.

"Naruto, huh? Yeah, I guess I can see the attraction!" Shikamaru said, rubbing his chin.

A grin spread across Kiba's face. "Yeah, he's great! So, do you know where he is?"

Shikamaru looked in all directions. "Actually, yes, I do."

"TELL ME!" Kiba shouted in his friend's face.

"But it's a secret." Shikamaru said, scratching his face with one finger.

Kiba grabbed the man's shoulders, "Shik! This is a matter of love! You can't deny me this!"

Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag. Fine, I'll tell you."

Kiba did a happy dance! "-"

"ENOUGH!" Shikamaru yelled, laughing. "Do you want to know or not?"

Kiba immediately stopped. "Yes!"

Shikamaru nodded his head, gesturing Kiba to follow him. The pair walked all the way to the Nara residence. Once inside, Shikamaru shut his eyes, feeling around to make sure no one else was there. Once he was satisfied that the area was secure, he opened his eyes. "As most of us know, a group called the Akatsuki is after the Kyuubi sealed inside Naruto. We have recently received some intel saying that the Akatsuki is headed this way, prepared to make a move to capture him. So, Naruto has gone to Suna with Gaara to stay until it is deemed safe enough to return."

Kiba dropped to his knees, eyes wide. "So there is no way I can tell him without compromising his cover?" he said.

* * *

><p>Kankuro shook Naruto awake. "Dude, come on! You need to get up!"<p>

Naruto rolled over. "Wha-?" he said wearily, opening one eye. He lifted himself out of the bed and rubbed his eyes.

Kankuro laughed at the sleepy display. Glancing over Naruto's body, he said, "I can see why my brother likes you so much!"

Naruto blushed. "What do you mean?"

Kankuro laughed once more at the blonde's innocence. "Have you ever looked at yourself?"

Naruto's blush deepened. "Wait, are you saying Gaara is attracted to me?"

Kankuro sauntered over to the bed and leaned over the shirtless blonde. Placing one hand on each side of Naruto's head, he leaned in. "Yes, he is, but he would never say anything. Me on the other hand, I'm extremely blunt."

Naruto began to tremble. 'Holy shit! What is going on?' he thought as Kankuro leaned in closer. "Uh, Kankuro?"

"Hmmm?" Kankuro mused, a smile playing on his lips.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Teasing."

Naruto's face contorted into one of confusion. "Wait, what?"

Kankuro pulled back, laughter shaking his whole body. "Dude, I was kidding!" Kankuro wiped a tear from his eye. "Although, I was serious about my brother. Why do you think he had me share a room with you and not himself? He wouldn't trust his hormones, and I'm straight!" Kankuro walked over to his bag and pulled on some clothes.

Naruto growled at Kankuro's teasing and pulled himself out of bed. "Do I have time for a shower?" he asked.

The brunette looked at his watch. "Yeah, if you make it quick."

Naruto walked into the bathroom, stripping off his boxers. **(A/N: does anyone **_**not**_** know where this is going? haha)** Started the shower, and stepped under the stream of warm water.

* * *

><p>Kankuro was repacking his bag, when there was a knock on the door. He walked over, looking through the peephole, and opened the door. "Good morning Gaara, what's up?"<p>

Gaara moved past his brother and into the room. He sat down on Kankuro's bed. "How soon will you be ready to leave?" he asked, looking around and noticing the lack of Naruto.

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened. Steam rolled out around a towel-clad Naruto, who stepped out, completely oblivious to the beet-red Gaara sitting on the bed. He walked over to his bag and pulled out some clothes. Turning around, he looked over at his roommate. "I forgot to bring these before!" he laughed.

Gaara felt a distinct tightening in his pants as Naruto's towel began to slip a bit. His breathing became labored and his throat became dry as images from his rather pleasant dream returned to him. They included a certain blonde writhing in pleasure under the Kazekage looking very much as he did now.

Naruto looked around, finally noticing Gaara. "Oh, good morning!" he said, completely forgetting the conversation him and Kankuro had before his shower. He turned around and laid his clothes on the bed, and began to slowly slip of his towel.

Gaara's eyes were glued to the hem of that fluffy white towel. He licked his lips in anticipation as the towel slipped over his tan round buttocks; but he groaned inaudibly as Naruto's boxers replaced the towel.

Kankuro watched this display, chuckling at the situation the blonde had put his dear brother in. Naruto turned around, noticing the way Gaara's eyes were scanning his body. "Uh, Gaara?"

The Kazekage's eyes snapped up to meet blue ones. "Sorry." he muttered. "Uh, you should change back into Nami, we need to get going." Te redhead rushed, dashing out of the room.

"What got into him?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"Wow, your memory really does suck!" Kankuro laughed. Naruto lifted an eyebrow. "Don't you remember what we talked about this morning?"

Naruto's eyes grew wide and Kankuro laughed. "Oops." was all Naruto could muster. The blonde gathered his things and placed them all back into his bag. Swung it onto his back, and transformed back into Nami. The pair headed out the door, met up with Temari and Gaara, and headed to Suna.

**Hahahaha, poor Gaara! Who knew the Kazekage could get so flustered by arousal? Oh well.**

**Please review!**

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****MoonWingsYuki****

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	8. Chapter 8

**A special thanks to my incredible beta: ANARI CROSS!  
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**Enjoy~!**

The four shinobi left Tani early that morning. The sun had barely peeked over the horizon. Nami groaned. "Uh, I hate mornings!" he called.

The three siblings shared a chuckle at Nami's antics. Gaara pulled behind. "Nami, you really need to stop acting like Naruto."

Nami sighed, "Yeah, I can't help it! That Naruto is one cool guy!" Gaara laughed at the faux-redheaded boy next to him.

The rest of the trip continued in silence. Nami groaning periodically at the quiet.

They reached the gates of Suna, the four were greeted regally. "Welcome back Kazekage-sama!" all the guards yelled as they bowed to the feet of the leader.

Gaara grunted in response, too tired to really care. Nami watched Gaara's cold display. The doors to the main gate closed and Nami turned back into Naruto. He ran up to walk next to the Kazekage. "Hey Gaara!" he said. "That was kinda mean, don't you think?"

Gaara raised an eyebrow at Naruto's accusations. "What do you mean?"

"Well, those people respect you, and treat you kindly, and you just ignore them as they greet you!" Naruto said, waving his arms around, allowing an overload of his personality after having had to hide it.

Gaara stopped in his tracks, arms crossed, eyes to the ground. He turned on his heel and walked back to the gate. "Thank you for the welcome." he said to the guards, who all looked completely shocked.

Naruto smiled his signature grin as Gaara walked back towards him. "Happy?" Gaara grunted, a light smile playing on his lips.

Naruto looked at his redheaded friend, 'Maybe this trip will be more fun than I thought!' he pondered as he followed Gaara into the Kazekage tower.

* * *

><p>The man was running as hard as he could. He couldn't stop to rest. He had to find him.<p>

* * *

><p>Gaara led Naruto through the tower to the mansion located in the back. "You'll be staying here." he said bluntly.<p>

Naruto looked up at the large building. "Are you sure it's ok for me to stay here?" he asked, amazed.

Gaara looked back at his blonde friend. "Why wouldn't it be?" he asked.

"Well, I'm just a lowly gennin. How can I be important enough to stay with the Kazekage?" Naruto said, his eyes darkening as he remembered the run-down apartment he stayed in back in Konoha.

Both of Gaara's eyebrows shot up into his hairline as he listened. "Well, if that's how you feel, just think of it as practice for when you finally become the Hokage."

Naruto's face shot up, blue met teal as the men stared at each other. "You really think I can?" he wondered aloud.

"What are you talking about Naruto? It's been your dream since you were born! Trust me, I know, you told me enough times." Gaara laughed.

"How can I become Hokage if I can't even save one friend?" the blonde asked sullenly.

Gaara immediately knew who Naruto was talking about. "Sasuke doesn't count. He's a horrible person that only seeks revenge." he said, gripping Naruto's arm and leading him inside.

Naruto sighed. "Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?"

"What?" Gaara asked, turning to face the other man.

"Nothing." Naruto said quickly. Gaara cocked a disbelieving eyebrow at the blonde.

Naruto followed Gaara around the mansion as he was given a tour. "This is the dining room, we all sit down for meals together when we don't have missions or meetings." Gaara then pointed towards a door. "That is the kitchen. Anything you want to eat, just let the staff know and it will be made."

Gaara walked out into a large library. "This is, obviously, the library. There are several books of all kinds as well as scrolls upon scrolls of jutsu."

Naruto stood, mouth agape, as he looked around the huge room. "Gaara this place is amazing!" he shouted, immediately putting his hands over his mouth. "Oops." he whispered. "I'm supposed to be quiet in a library!"

Gaara laughed, "Yes, but this is a personal library, so that rule doesn't count – unless I'm down here trying to read."

Naruto laughed with his friend. "Alright, I'll be sure to stay quiet when we read together!"

"Let's see more, shall we?" Gaara said, turning to exit the library. The pair walked into an open room filled with chairs, a fireplace, and a large TV. "This is the sitting room. We all will usually come in here to relax after dinner. Unless we have other pressing matters – but if they can be put off, we will to come in and relax together."

Naruto sighed contentedly; this seemed like such a warm home. He could really get used to this! Suddenly, Naruto realized he lost sight of Gaara, and started whipping his head in all directions. Finally he located the redhead on the stairs. "You coming?" Gaara shouted.

Naruto ran to catch up to Gaara who was already at the top of the stairs. He looked around to see it was nothing but a hallway with several doors. Gaara merely pointed to them all. "That one is Kankuro's," he said, pointing to the right. "and the next one down is Temari's. Across from her's is my room, and that one," he pointed to the door next to Gaara's and across from Kankuro's, "is your room. I think you'll find it to your liking." Gaara smirked.

Naruto looked at him as if Gaara had grown another head. 'To my liking?' he wondered, walking over and twisting the handle of the door. Inside was a large bed, with a bright orange comforter, as well as orange pillows with black swirls on them. There was a desk with a comfortable chair, a large bookcase, and the biggest wardrobe Naruto had ever seen. Through the mahogany doors of the wardrobe were clothes that suited Naruto's personality and better fit the climate in Suna.

Naruto took off running, jumped, and landed on his new bed, laughing with pure joy. "Gaara! This bed is so comfortable!" he yelled in his excitement.

Gaara smirked again, "I'm glad you like it." He leaned his lithe body against the door frame and watched his blonde move around the room, inspecting everything.

* * *

><p>The man kept running, picking up on the other male's chakra. 'That's it! I know where he is!' The man changed his course and ran even harder. He was almost certain his legs would give out any moment. Suddenly, the gates of Suna came into view. 'I've finally found you…Naruto.'<p>

**Who is this mysterious man? Why does he want Naruto? What will the clothes that Gaara picked out for Naruto look like? Will someone end up groping Naruto in the night? Why do pickles taste pickley? Find out in Moments: Chapter 9!**

**Please review!**

**Thanks to all of my supporters**

****MoonWingsYuki****

******Genshishiolove******

**Living Paradox**

**naruxkibalovr**

**Anari Cross**

**Jvt14**

**Sabrininha-chan  
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	9. Chapter 9

**A big thanks to my beta: ANARI CROSS!**

**Enjoy~!**

The man sat and waited, observing the guards, trying to time when they switch posts and go on breaks, looking for a moment to get inside the village. After the Akatsuki had attacked the village for a failed attempt to gain Shukaku, security had tightened immensely. 'How the hell am I going to manage this?' he wondered to himself. 'I'm in for a long night.'

* * *

><p>"Shikamaru, I can't take this anymore! I need to see him!" Kiba whined.<p>

"Well, stop complaining to me! Go request a Suna mission from the Hokage or something! Tell her you just need to get away." Shikamaru sighed.

"THAT IS THE MOST AMAZING IDEA YOU HAVE EVER HAD SHIK!" Kiba screamed, getting up and running out of the building. "BYE DUDE!"

Shikamaru chuckled, "What a drag."

* * *

><p>Naruto walked down the stairs and entered the dining area. Gaara, who was already in his seat at the table, looked up appreciatively at the man's new appearance. He was wearing khaki shorts that held his form tightly, showing off his toned butt and thin waist. Over that he wore cream robe, tied loosely around the man's waist, open at the top, exposing an expanse of toned tan skin.<p>

The blonde sat down at the table, across from Gaara. "Hey guys! What's for dinner?" he asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Well, in celebration of your arrival," Temari started, a light blush on her face, "we are having you favorite."

A huge grin covered Naruto's face. "Ramen?" he said quietly.

"Ramen." Temari confirmed

Naruto jumped from his seat pumping a fist into the air. "HOORAY!" he shouted.

The cooks entered the dining room, holding large bowls of ramen, and set them down in front of the diners. "Enjoy~!" one of them said before they left the room.

They ate in silence, well except for Naruto who was slurping his noodles, and smacking his lips as he wolfed down the bowl, not hesitating to ask for more.

After dinner, the four shinobi left the dining area and went to the sitting room. It was quiet, and peaceful, and relaxing. Even Naruto was quiet. Soon, it got dark, and they slowly headed upstairs for a well deserved sleep.

* * *

><p>Kiba ran to the Hokage tower, and stopped in front of the large doors that lead to the office. He knocked on the door. "Come in." came a tired voice from inside.<p>

Kiba pushed the doors open and walked into the large office. "Hokage-sama." he said. "I would like to request a mission in Suna."

Tsunade eyed the young man wearily. "Why?"

Kiba felt himself begin to sweat. He hated lying, it was hard for him to do! He always gave it away. "Well, you see, I'm-uh-having some family issues, and I just want to get away for awhile."

The blonde's eyes narrowed. "Why Suna?" she asked.

Kiba gulped. "B-because I know Gaara, and I haven't seen him in awhile!" He was bluffing. He never expected this question. He just prayed that she didn't call him on it.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. She knew full well that Kiba knew where Naruto was, and the real reason for him wanting to go to Suna. She cared for Naruto deeply, and always thought highly of Kiba. She had made up her mind. "Why not." she sighed, flipping through her mission scrolls, looking for something suitable to give the young Inuzuka.

Finally she spotted an easy one she could send him on, but he wouldn't be able to go alone. "Kiba," she started authoritatively, causing Kiba to snap to attention, "I want you to accompany Shikamaru on his delegation mission for the Chunin Exams."

A huge grin covered Kiba's face. He couldn't get any luckier! Not only would he get to see Naruto, but he'd get to spend some time with his best friend! "Yes Hokage-sama." he said politely, secretly wanting to try out Naruto's 'Baa-chan'.

Tsunade handed him a mission scroll. "Take that to Shikamaru and then go pack. You leave in an hour." she told him.

"Hai!" he replied, running out of the office to go find Shikamaru.

Tsunade sat back in her chair. 'Naruto, I hope you're ok.' she thought, hoping that her words would reach the young blonde in Suna.

Kiba ran all the way to the Nara residence. "SHIKAMARU!" he called.

The lazy man was sitting on the back porch when he heard his name being called. 'How troublesome.' he mentally sighed. He got up and made his way to where Kiba was standing out front. "Hey Kiba, what's up?"

Kiba presented the scroll Tsunade had given him. "We're going to Suna! We leave in an hour." Kiba said, his huge grin still in place.

"You dragged me into this?" Shikamaru whined.

"Nope! You were doing this anyway, she just added my name to it!" he said. "Well, I'm off to go and pack, I suggest you do the same."

Shikamaru waved as the Inuzuka left. He opened the scroll. Inside was a mission statement, as well as a sealed note to Naruto. Shikamaru smiled. 'I always knew she had a soft spot for him.' he thought. 'However, who doesn't? He really is on special hyperactive knucklehead.'

* * *

><p>Darkness fell over the land, shrouding the man sitting outside the gates. His moment had come. He slowly crept towards the gate and pressed himself along the wall so as not to be seen. He slowly rounded the corner into the corridor that lead into the city. His steps were taken in inches so as not to disturb anyone feeling chakra. He made it to the end, and ran for the city, taking cover in the shadows cast by buildings.<p>

The man closed his eyes, and sent out a wave of disguised chakra, feeling for Naruto's. 'There.' he thought, finally finding it. He stealthily made his way towards the source. 'The Kazekage mansion? Shit!' he inwardly screamed, knowing that there would be even more security in this building.

He crept around the side of the large home, trying to pinpoint Naruto's location. He passed by a window, and felt Naruto's chakra spike. He gracefully jumped up to the second story, landing on the window sill. He skillfully opened the window, not making a single sound and slipped inside the dark bedroom. Closing the window, he made his way to the bed, approaching the sleeping form of the blonde.

"Naruto, wake up." the man called from the foot of the bed.

Naruto stirred, having heard his name, as his mind slowly unfogged, he became acutely aware of a presence in his room. His eyes snapped open, he looked over to the end of the bed. Naruto's impossibly blue eyes widened. "W-what the hell are _you_ doing here?"

**My fingers hurt! *sigh* oh well. I guess this is all you get for an author's note. ttfn!**

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><strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Enjoy~!**

"W-what the hell are _you_ doing here?" Naruto asked the dark man at the end of his bed.

"Naruto, don't scream, I'm not here to capture you." Itachi Uchiha said. Itachi was a tall man, a few years older than Naruto himself. He had grey eyes, and long black hair. He looked exceptionally like his younger brother, Sasuke, but he had rather pronounced tear troughs. He had shed his signature Akatsuki coat.

"Then what the hell do you want?" Naruto asked, palming a kunai under his pillow and not daring to look the other man in the eyes.

Itachi looked sadly at the blonde. "Naruto, please, don't be afraid to look at me, I will not activate my sharingan." he said slowly.

"And why should I believe you?" the blonde spat.

"You shouldn't. I understand that. I just wanted to tell you." Itachi stopped, trying to sort out his words. "I'm here to warn you about the Akatsuki."

"You don't think I know that you are all after me? Why the hell do you think I'm here? And how the hell did you find me?" he asked.

"I found you using my sharingan, none of the other members will be able to though, you did an excellent job, and I will not betray your location." Itachi said.

Naruto was feeling so confused. Why the hell was Itachi here, and talking to him, and being kind? He chanced a glance up, and what he saw stopped his heart for a moment. Itachi's eyes were void of the blood red sharingan, and held immense sadness. "You still haven't told me why you're here? It's obvious I know about the Akatsuki, so what is it you really need to tell me?"

Itachi looked down at the floor in an attempt to regain control of his emotions. "I don't want you to get captured by the Akatsuki. I'm here to give you this." Itachi pulled out a scroll. "It's the intel I've collected over the years.

Naruto took it, and eyed it wearily before hesitantly opening it. It was full of maps and facts about all the members. It was incredible! "Why?" was the only syllable Naruto could squeeze out.

"I already told you, I don't you to be caught." the raven said.

"Yeah, but why?" Naruto said, raising his blue eyes to meet obsidian ones.

Itachi sighed. "A few different reasons." he said enigmatically.

"That doesn't tell me much!" Naruto scoffed.

"My reasoning doesn't concern you; all that matters is your safety." Itachi sighed.

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms, an adorable pout gracing his face. Itachi laughed causing Naruto's face to change to one of shock. "What?" Itachi asked, still laughing slightly.

"You're laughing!" Naruto said, pointing an accusatory finger.

"Yes, and?"

"Nothing, I guess I just thought you'd be more like Sasuke." Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"Sasuke doesn't laugh?" Itachi asked.

"Not without some serious probing! It is near impossible to make him laugh. He'll smirk, even chuckle if he's in a good mood; but downright laughter is not heard of!" Naruto explained animatedly.

Suddenly, Naruto heard a strange noise coming from his door. He looked over to see sand slowly sneaking under the crack. "Itachi." he whispered. "Run."

Itachi looked over, saw the sand, and opened the window. "I'll be back in a few days." he said as he bolted out the window.

Naruto got up and walked over to the door and opened it. "Hey Gaara! What's up?" he asked cheerfully.

"I heard voices. Who is in there?" he asked.

"No one." Naruto said as he stepped back from the door to show Gaara.

Gaara glanced around. "Then who were you talking to?"

"Myself. I do that sometimes when I can't sleep." Naruto said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. He had no idea why he was covering for Itachi, but he felt compelled to none-the-less.

Gaara raised an eyebrow. "You can't sleep?" he asked, walking into Naruto's room.

"Yeah, sometimes I have issues in new places." he said.

"Oh." was all Gaara could muster as he walked around the room, as if searching for the person he knew was there.

"Gaara? What are you doing?" Naruto asked, watching the movements of the other man.

"Oh, nothing." said the redhead, walking back out. "You should try to get some sleep though."

"Yeah, I will." Naruto said. "Good Night Gaara."

"Good Night Naruto."

Naruto shut the door and walked back over to his bed, pulling the scroll Itachi had given him out. He walked over to his bookcase and hid it within a bunch of other scrolls there, deciding he would figure out what to do in the morning.

* * *

><p>Kiba and Shikamaru met at the front gates of Konoha. "Ok Shik, how are we going to do this?" Kiba asked, jumping onto Akamaru's back.<p>

"Well, we are going to hit Tani tonight, and then hit Suna the next night." Shikamaru said tiredly. "It's the same journey every time Kiba."

"I don't go to Suna often." Kiba scoffed. "Wait, two whole days? I don't think I can wait that long to see him!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "If you are going to be this troublesome, I'm pulling you from this mission!"

"NO! I'll be quiet!" Kiba yelled, which when you think about it is kind of ironic….

Shikamaru just shook his head. "Come on Kiba, we have to go if we're going to make it to Tani by nightfall." he said, walking out the gate.

Akamaru ran after the Nara. The trio jumped up into the trees and began leaping from branch to branch, knowing that that would be faster.

Two days later, the pair of leaf-nin reached the gates of Suna.

A pair of sand-nin jumped down. "State your business."

Shikamaru produced the scroll from the Hokage and handed it to one of the guards. "We're here about the chunin exams." he said lazily.

The guard looked over the scroll and handed it back to the chunin. "Welcome back to Suna Nara-san. Kazekage-sama is in his home." With that, the two guards jumped back up to their positions on the wall, allowing Shikamaru and Kiba to pass through.

"So, where do you think they have Naruto staying?" Kiba asked his friend.

"Who knows. It all depends on how long he is projected to stay! If they think it's short term, they'll probably just set him up at the hotel, otherwise they may have given him an apartment." Shikamaru stated as they walked to the Kazekage mansion.

The pair walked up to the main door and knocked.

The door was slowly pulled open, swinging inwards to reveal a tanned man. "Kiba? Shikamaru? What are you guys doing here?"

**How will Kiba react to learning **_**his**_** Naruto is living with a sexy redhead? Find out next time in Moments: 11!**

**Please review!**

**Thanks to all of my supporters**

****MoonWingsYuki****

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><strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**I wuv you my amazing beta Anari Cross!**

**Enjoy~!**

Kiba's eyes widened, "Why are you in the Kazekage mansion?" he asked the blonde before him.

A light blush spread across Naruto's face, something which Kiba took as a bad sign. "W-well, you see…" he started, his voice trailing off.

Suddenly, Gaara appeared behind him. "I thought it would be safer if he stayed here." the redhead stated bluntly.

Kiba growled softly at how close Gaara was standing to his blonde. Yes, _his_ blonde – Naruto may not know it yet, but he belonged to Kiba. "Is that so?" Kiba said through gritted teeth. "Thank you for keeping him safe."

Naruto looked confusedly at Kiba. 'Why is he growling?' he wondered. Suddenly he remembered.

"_Naruto, I have been attracted to you since…since…well, I realized it after the chunin exams, but who knows how long I've been in love with you!"_

Naruto sighed; this was going to be a long visit. Not only did he have to deal with being hunted like an animal, but he had to deal with Gaara's feelings, Itachi's mysterious appearance, and now Kiba's feelings. This was slowly becoming too much for the beautiful blonde. Naruto dropped his hand from the door, and walked back inside to let Gaara deal with his friends.

He went into the sitting room and plopped on the couch. "What am I going to do?" he asked himself.

"I'm not sure, but facing your own feelings is always a good start." said a voice.

Naruto sat up and looked around, his eyes settling on Shikamaru, who was leaning on the archway that led into the large room. "Shika?" he said.

"Yes?" the man replied sarcastically.

"Why did you bring Kiba?" he asked.

"Because he misses you." Shikamaru was known for being blunt; it was too troublesome to beat around the bush.

Another blush spread across the blonde ninja's face. "Oh." he said, settling back so he way laying on the couch.

"How do you feel for him?" the brunette asked, crossing the room to sit next to Naruto.

"I don't know, Shika. I mean, I only realized I was gay a couple days ago!" Naruto sighed exasperatedly.

"Well, just tell him that. I'm almost positive that he would understand that you need some time to get used to the idea of being gay yourself!" Shikamaru laughed.

Naruto frowned; something that everyone knew didn't suit the boy. How the hell was he supposed to say that to someone? Sighing, Naruto lifted himself from the couch so he was sitting up, and leaned his head on Shikamaru's shoulder. "I just don't know what to say to anyone anymore! It seems like everyone has a crush on me!"

Kiba walked through the mansion, looking for Naruto. 'Maybe Shika knows where he his!' he thought, making his way to the sitting room he'd seen Shikamaru enter. He stopped in his tracks as Naruto sat up and rested his head on Shikamaru's shoulder. He again growled, it seemed he would be doing a lot of that while chasing Naruto.

Shikamaru turned his head upon hearing a growl. "Oh, Kiba, so good of you to join us." he said lazily.

Kiba entered the room, and sat down on the other side of Naruto. "So, uh, Naruto, um…." Kiba looked over into those amazing pools of blue, getting lost.

Naruto sighed, spared a glance at Shikamaru, and fully faced Kiba. "What do you want?"

"I was wondering if….you know…since I'm going to be in town for a while, if you'd like to….well, uh…maybe, you know, if you're not busy…uh" Kiba stuttered.

"SPIT IT OUT!" Shikamaru shouted, unable to listen to the mumbling anymore.

"Naruto-I uh." Kiba started.

"He's trying to ask you on a date." Shikamaru sighed, bored with the situation already.

Naruto snapped his eyes up to meet chocolate brown ones. "Is that true?" he asked.

"Y-yeah." Kiba said in response, unable to remove his gaze.

Naruto's eyes saddened. Kiba really was adorable. "Kiba, I, well, I think I need some time to figure things out. I like you, I really do, but I only figured out that I'm gay a couple days ago! And there is so much other stuff going on, and I-well I need to think about things."

Kiba looked away from the man that haunted his dreams. "O-okay then…" Kiba said dejectedly.

"Kiba…" Naruto started, "Could you maybe ask again in a few days? You know, after I've figured some things out?"

"Of course Naruto, anything for you." Kiba said, looking back up at the blonde.

Suddenly a large dog appeared. _"You dick! You left me in Tani!"_ Akamaru barked.

Kiba looked at his puppy sheepishly, "Sorry Akamaru!" The brunette pulled himself off the couch, and onto his knees to hug the large dog.

Naruto laughed quietly at the display before him, and Shikamaru raised a brow. 'Did he understand what Akamaru said? Usually it's only Inuzukas that can.' the lazy man thought to himself.

* * *

><p>Itachi wandered back to the camp he shared with his partner, Kisame Hoshigaki. The shark-man sword user looked up as Itachi sat down by the fire.<p>

"Hey, Itachi, where the hell did you go?" the blue man asked.

"I thought I sensed something, but I was wrong." the raven explained.

"You really need to pay more attention." Kisame laughed.

"Yeah." Itachi was still in a daze after seeing Naruto. The blonde brought back so many memories he'd thought he forgot.

Itachi rose from his seat. "I'm going to bed." he stated, walking towards his tent.

"Don't you want something to eat?" Kisame asked, watching the other man leave.

"I'm not hungry." Itachi said, entering his tent and closing the flap.

He sat down on his sleeping bag, brought his knees to his chest, and covered his head with his arms. "Why." he wondered aloud. A tear slowly rolled down his cheek. "Why did they have to assign me _him_?"

* * *

><p>Many years ago, a large beast attacked the Leaf Village, and a 5-year-old Itachi was there to witness it. He sat on his front porch, holding his baby brother, and feeling the most intense fear he'd ever felt. As the creature came closer to the Uchiha compound, people were running and screaming, and just trying to get out. But Itachi was frozen with fear. Everyone said he was a genius, but he couldn't seem to figure out what to do!<p>

His baby brother, Sasuke, sat in his arms, crying. Itachi was sure the young one could sense the horrible evil chakra rolling off the monster that lie ahead.

Itachi looked around, noticing that his family was gone. They must have all assumed that he would have run by now. He snapped his eyes back to the monster. The Kyuubi no Kitsune. It was steadily getting bigger as it came closer to the boy's field of vision.

Itachi began to visibly shake with fear. "Oh God!" he screamed. He could see the whites of the creature's eyes. "What do I do?" Itachi was crying, he couldn't control the pure fear pumping through his veins.

Suddenly, faster than any human eye could've comprehended, a man appeared in front of Itachi. "Run son." the man said, looking over his shoulder.

Itachi looked up into the blue eyes of his savior. Blue eyes he would never forget. The blue eyes of Minato Namikaze, the fourth Hokage.

Itachi ran with all his might, holding onto the tiny bundle in his arms. "Don't worry Sasuke, I'll protect you." he whispered. He looked over his shoulder to see that the man had summoned a giant toad, and was now standing atop it.

Turning back to face forward, Itachi kept running. He ran so hard, his legs almost gave out. He never looked back again.

It wasn't until later that he found out the man had died sealing the demon away. Learning this information crushed a young heart. The man who had so selflessly saved him and his brother was dead!

* * *

><p>Five years later, a 10-year-old Itachi was walking through the village, running errands for his parents.<p>

"Get out you monster!" screamed a shop keeper, throwing a 5-year-old blonde out onto the street.

The young boy looked up. "I didn't want to be in your stupid store anyway!" he screamed.

Itachi walked over to help the little boy, confused as to why he would be thrown out. He reached out a hand.

The little boy looked at the hand presented to him – something that was never done. He looked up into Itachi's face. "T-thank you mister." he said softly.

That's when Itachi saw them. This little boy had the same blue eyes as his hero. "Who are you?" he asked.

"M-my name is Naruto Uzumaki." the little boy said quietly.

"Well, Naruto, my name is Itachi, it's very nice to meet you." the Uchiha said while hoisting the boy to his feet, a smile on his face. 'Uzumaki?' he wondered. "So, why did he throw you out?" he asked the smaller boy.

The blonde smiled a sad smile before putting on a brave face. "I'm not sure, but lots of people do it! I'm used to it!" he said proudly.

Itachi pondered this for a bit. He had never heard of any reason to hate a 5-year-old! This was going to take some research. But first, he decided to walk the small one home. "Where do you live?" he asked.

"In the apartments on the other side of town." he said quietly, as if not wanting anyone to actually hear him.

"Ok, do you mind if I walk with you?" Itachi asked.

"Why?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"Because I just want to make sure you get home safe." he replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Itachi watched as Naruto's blue eyes widened in shock. "Really?"

'Is there no one kind to this boy?' Itachi wondered. "Yes really." he stated.

Naruto was still cautious, but allowed the older boy to accompany him. He began to walk down the path to his apartment. Itachi followed, confused as to all the twists and turns, and back allies the young blonde took. Finally, after about 45 minutes, they reached an old beaten down apartment building. Itachi frowned as Naruto made his way up the stairs, and pulled out a key. "Well, this is it." Naruto said, stopping in front of his door.

"Where are your parents?" Itachi questioned, wanting to know what kind of parents would let their son be treated that way.

"Oh." was all Naruto said, causing Itachi's eyes to attach their gaze to blue.

"What?"

"W-well…they died. I never met them." Naruto said, looking at the floor.

Itachi's eyes widened. "Then, who is taking care of you?"

"I do!" Naruto said, thrusting a thumb into this chest proudly. "I can do it all by myself!" A large grin stretched across the boy's face – a grin that if one actually took the time to look would find to be fake.

Itachi looked sadly on the boy. "If you ever need help, you can always seek me out." he said, patting the young boy on the shoulder.

Naruto walked into his apartment, and Itachi started to head home. He decided to stop at the library of scrolls to do some research. He learned about the Kyuubi sealed inside the young blonde, and about his linage. "I promise Minato, I will keep your son safe." he whispered to an image of the Fourth on the scroll.

* * *

><p>Itachi laid down in his tent, still huddling his knees. "I promised you Minato, and I will not break that promise for anything." he whispered. Slowly falling asleep.<p>

**An Itachi-centric chapter. Who'd have guessed? Thanks to Anari for the idea!**

**Please review all you readers!**

**Beta's Note: I didn't do much. You are the one who put the idea in there so artistically. You are an amazing writer that never disappoints. Thank you for choosing me as your beta.**

**Thanks to all of my supporters**

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**NaruxKiba4evr  
><strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**A very special thank you to my epic beta: ANARI CROSS!**

**Enjoy~!**

Itachi walked out of his tent the next morning to find Kisame asleep in front of the fire. He had finally decided what he was going to do. He walked over to the sleeping sword user and violently shook him awake. "Kisame! I found the Kyuubi's chakra!" he said hurridly.

Kisame woke with a start, still groggy. "Really?" he said.

"Yeah, I woke up early and was scanning, when I picked it up. Let's go." he said in his usual menacing voice.

Kisame began putting his stuff away, and strapped his sword to his back, while Itachi packed up his tent. The pair embarked in the complete opposite direction of Suna.

* * *

><p>Naruto awoke the next morning to find the house completely empty. He looked at the clock. "Oh wow, it's late!" he said, noticing it was already 10am. He jumped out of bed, threw on some sweatpants, and padded his way down to the kitchen for some breakfast.<p>

Opening the door, he found the staff. "Good morning!" he said cheerfully. "I was wondering if I could get some breakfast?" he asked, his fox-grin in place.

The head chef looked at the young man. "Well, what would you like?" he asked, returning the polite smile.

"I get to pick?" he said, eyes wide.

The staff laughed. The boy really was too adorable. "Of course you do!"

Naruto smiled even bigger than before. "Could I get some pancakes?" he asked excitedly.

The chef laughed, "They'll be ready shortly if you'd like to take a seat in the dining room."

"YAY!" yelled the blonde, running back into the dining room, and taking a seat. After a bit, the head chef came out, a large plate with a generous stack of pancakes and some warm syrup. "Here you are…um, well this is embarrassing, I seem to have forgotten your name." said the man.

Naruto eyed his pancakes excitedly, "Oh, my name is Naruto! Naruto Uzumaki!" He took a big bite of his pancakes. "Oh wow! These are amazing!" he yelled.

The chef smiled in response to the enthusiastic boy. People have always praised his work, but never with so much zeal! "I'm glad you're enjoying them." he said, turning on his heel to go back into the kitchen.

Naruto chowed down on his pancakes, savoring each bite, when Kankuro walked through the door. "Hey squirt!" he called.

Naruto looked up, large blue eyes, pancake hanging from his mouth. "What?" he said.

Kankuro laughed. "I said hey squirt."

Naruto swallowed his pancakes. "I'm not a squirt!" he retorted, crossing his arms and pouting.

Kankuro laughed again, the blonde made everybody around him feel more lighthearted. "You totally, are, not that it's a bad thing!" Naruto huffed and went back to his pancakes. "So, Naruto, what are your plans for the day?"

"Well, I was planning on going around, getting used to the village. If I'm going to spend a serious amount of time here, I should learn about it!" Naruto explained in between bites.

"That's a pretty good idea actually." Kankuro said, a chuckle behind his words.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Nothing!" Kankuro laughed, putting up both his hands in defense.

Naruto eyed Kankuro wearily as he took another bite of his pancakes.

"Listen. Gaara thought the same thing. He's arranged for someone to take you on a tour!" Kankuro said. "I think he's sending Kiba to join you."

Naruto's head shot up and his eyes went wide. "What?"

Kankuro furrowed his brow. "Do you have a problem with Kiba?"

Naruto sighed, annoyance replacing the surprise. "No, not really."

"Well, ok then." Kankuro said, moving towards the door. "Just head to Gaara's office in the tower when you get done with your pancakes. Oh, and you might want to get dressed first!" Kankuro laughed as he noticed the light blush that covered Naruto's face, and he left the room.

Naruto stared at his breakfast. "Great, a whole day with a love struck Kiba…"

* * *

><p>Kiba and Gaara sat in the Kazekage office, waiting for the blonde to join them. Gaara as at his desk, working on some paperwork while Kiba glared at him.<p>

There was a knock on the large door. "Come in." Gaara called, not even lifting his head.

A random guard ninja walked in, followed by Naruto and a woman with chin-length brown hair, dark eyes, and wore her head band around her neck. "Two to see you sir." the guard said, backing out of the room.

Gaara grunted, looking up. Naruto shot the Kazekage a look. "Thank you." Gaara told his guard. He turned his gaze at the three in the room. "Kiba, Naruto, this is Matsuri. She will be giving you a tour of Suna."

Matsuri bowed to the other two. "Hi! Are you guys ready?" she asked politely. Both males nodded and followed after her.

"Naruto?" Gaara called just before the blonde walked out. "Have a good time!"

Naruto stopped and turned around, flashing a radiant smile at the redhead. "I will Gaara!" Naruto turned back around and followed Kiba and Matsuri.

"So, you guys are from Konoha, right?" Matsuri asked politely as the three made their way down the stairs.

"Yeah." Kiba mumbled, unable to take his eyes off Naruto. 'I can't believe I get to spend a whole day with him!'

Naruto looked over, to see brown eye locked on him. "So, Matsuri," he started, turning back to face the woman, "what all are you going to show us?"

"Sensei gave me a list." she said, holding up the scroll Gaara had given her. "It's mostly just the main points, and some recreational sectors."

Naruto was desperate to ignore the deep brown eye scanning his body. "Oh?" he sputtered. "So, what's first?" he asked as they walked out of the building.

Matsuri turned around and gestured at the edifice they had just left. "This is obviously the Kazekage tower. It serves as an administrative building for all the ninja in the village. Behind it, as you obviously already know, lies the Kazekage mansion." She turned around to face to two men. "Does that answer your question Naruto?"

The blonde laughed whole-heartedly; it was the kind of laugh that made others fall in love with him. His laugh made both of the others blush. "Yeah, Matsuri, I guess it does."

She turned around to hide her blush. She had always thought that Gaara-sensei was the handsomest guy she would ever meet, but this blonde was taking over her heart.

The trio walked down the road, coming to a large greenhouse. Matsuri turned to face the others. "This is the greenhouse. It's where we grow medicinal herbs for the hospital, since we can't grow them naturally in the sand." The two men nodded their heads, signally that they understood.

The pair followed Matsuri to the next building over. "This is the hospital. This is where we-"

"Take care of the sick and wounded. Yeah, I think we know what a hospital is for." Kiba grunted, already annoyed by this tour. Naruto still wasn't talking to him.

Naruto turned to glare at the brunette. "Kiba! That was really rude!"

Kiba visibly withdrew. "Sorry." he mumbled, not wanting Naruto to be angry with him.

"It's ok Kiba, I know this tour will be boring." Matsuri said, smiling sweetly at the man.

She turned and started her way down the road again. Taking a couple sharp turns, they came to a long street filled with vendors and shops. Matsuri turned around and began walking backwards. "This is the shopping district. You will find everything you could ever want here."

"Ramen?" Naruto half-yelled.

Matsuri laughed at the man's enthusiasm. "Yes, we have an excellent ramen stand over there." She pointed to a stand about a block away.

"Can we stop for some lunch?" Naruto asked, turning on the full power of his brilliant blue eyes.

Matsuri laughed, "Yeah, we can get some lunch!"

The trio made their way into the stand, placed their orders, and waited for their food. "So, Naruto, why are you here in Suna?" Matsuri asked.

"I'm in hiding." he replied, looking down at the counter.

"In hiding?" she wondered.

"Yeah, remember the group that tried to kidnap Gaara?" Naruto asked.

"The Akatsuki?" she answered

"Well, I'm also a vessel, and now they're after me." Naruto said sadly.

Kiba huffed. 'I can't believe he's completely ignoring me!'

"I'm so sorry Naruto." Matsuri cooed.

Naruto's face brightened almost instantly. "Don't worry about me Matsuri! I can handle whatever they throw my way!" Naruto thumped his chest like a caveman for added dramatic effect.

Matsuri laughed at the blonde's display, but Kiba knew better. He knew that Naruto was actually scared out of his mind. He knew that this was just a façade to keep people from pitying him. Kiba could see the emotions hidden deep in blue eyes.

* * *

><p>After they had eaten their ramen and paid for the meal, the trio continued their tour. Matsuri took them all around the village. She showed them the training grounds, the residential district, the hotels, and the entertainment district.<p>

They slowly made their way back to the tower. "So, do you guys have any questions?" Matsuri asked politely.

"Nope." the two men mumbled in unison.

Matsuri laughed at the two exhausted men. "You guys need to get used to the dry air!"

Kiba and Naruto walked past Matsuri, through the tower, and into the mansion, where they both collapsed the couch in the sitting room. "So, Naruto," Kiba started, "what now?"

"Now?" Naruto said. "Now, we relax. We don't have anything else to do, unless you and Shikamaru have something to do for the chunin exams?" Naruto peeked one blue eye open to look over at the brunette.

"I'm sure he does, but I'm free for the day." Kiba said, a grin covering his face.

"That's cool." Naruto said, still tired. The blonde, slid sideways and rested his head on a strong chest, his eyes closed.

Kiba blushed madly as Naruto's breathing slowly evened out. He reached a hand up to play with blonde locks. "I love you Naruto." he whispered to the sleeping man.

***sigh* This chapter was really slow going for me! It took like 4 days to write this! Well, I hope you enjoyed this! Please review!**

**Thanks to all of my supporters**

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><strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you to my fantastic beta Anari Cross!**

**Enjoy~!**

Itachi and Kisame ran in the direction of Earth Country. "Are you sure you sensed him in this direction?" Kisame inquired.

"For the last time Kisame, yes I am sure!" Itachi was furious about being questioned. Granted, this time he was leading them astray, he never had before.

"So, they're heading for Earth Country." said a soft, almost happy voice.

"Yes, it seems so." said a deep, gravelly voice.

A large fly-trap looking man sat halfway out of the ground, his body split into a white half and a black half.

"Why would they be running there? Isn't the Kyuubi in Konoha?" asked the white half.

"We should bring this to Madara." the black half responded.

The man sunk back into the ground, and out of sight.

* * *

><p>Naruto awoke from his nap feeling warm and cozy. He nudged his head, trying to get more comfortable on the slightly hard surface. Suddenly, he became aware of a hand stroking his head. Naruto's eyes snapped open as he lifted his head. Looking around, he found himself to have been sleeping on Kiba. Naruto cocked an eyebrow at the brunette.<p>

"You're awake!" Kiba stated; a lazy smile adorning his face.

"Well, that I already knew." Naruto laughed.

"We got back from the tour, and you just kinda fell asleep!" Kiba said.

Naruto rubbed his eyes and yawned. "What time is it?"

Kiba glanced over at the clock, "It looks to be about 5:00."

"We've got about two hours until dinner." Naruto explained, yawning again. He leaned back down against Kiba's chest. "I think I'll nap some more." he said.

Kiba blushed again. "O-okay." The brunette's hand resumed stroking blonde locks as the tan man drifted back off to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Welcome back Zetsu, what information have you brought me?" said a man with spiky black hair, and a swirled orange mask hiding his face.<p>

The fly-trap man, Zetsu, appeared from the floor. "Itachi and Kisame are headed for Earth Country." Black Zetsu said.

Madara Uchiha's face snapped to the other. "Are you sure?"

"Have we ever been wrong before?" asked White Zetsu. "We see these things with our own eyes."

"But why?" Madara sounded exasperated.

"We do not know sir," White Zetsu started. "But we do know that Itachi is the one leading in that direction." finished Black Zetsu.

Madara scratched his chin, deep in thought. "This might be more difficult than I initially thought. Continue to follow them, and return when you have gathered more information."

"Yes sir." both halves said. Zetsu sunk back into the floor, and headed in Itachi and Kisame's direction.

Madara turned, looking around with his Sharingan. "What was it Itachi, that made you so suddenly change direction?"

* * *

><p>A gentle shaking roused Naruto from his sleep. "Naruto, it's time for dinner."<p>

Naruto looked up to find Gaara standing over him. He glanced over at Kiba, who just seemed to glare at the Kazekage. "Wha?"

"It's time for dinner!" Gaara repeated.

Naruto's eyes immediately snapped open at the mention of food. He jumped up off the couch. "Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked.

Gaara just laughed. "Nothing, let's go."

Kiba, Naruto, and Gaara walked into the dining room, and joined Kankuro, Temari, and Shikamaru at the table.

"Hey Naruto!" Kankuro called. "How was your tour?"

"Ugg, it was boring!" Naruto whined, flailing his harms around to emphasize his point. "But I ended up taking a really nice nap!"

Kankuro laughed at the boy's antics. "Well, that's always a good thing."

The chefs walked in and placed food in front of all the diners. "Bon Appétit!" he shouted, exiting to the kitchen.

A silence fell over the room as everyone enjoyed the delicious food set before them.

* * *

><p>Madara suddenly appeared in the location of Itachi and Kisame's previous camp. He looked around using his Sharingan. "What is out here?" he asked himself quietly.<p>

Suddenly, he caught on to the tiniest bit of chakra. A red chakra. A demonic chakra. A smile emerged under the swirled mask. "Kyuubi."

* * *

><p>The group finished their dinner, and made their way into the sitting room for some quiet time. Naruto sat on the couch with Gaara and Kiba on either side of him, Shikamaru sat in an oversized chair with his girlfriend, Temari in his lap, and Kankuro sat in another chair with a book.<p>

"So, Naruto, what are your plans for tomorrow?" Gaara asked, trying to be nonchalant.

"I'm not sure yet why do you ask?" Naruto asked, unconsciously leaning over to rest his head on Kiba's shoulder.

"Well, I got most of my paperwork done today, so I was thinking that maybe you could join me for lunch." the redhead replied, ignoring the growling coming from Kiba.

Naruto felt the rumbling coming from the man he was laying on. "Uh, well, I-"

"He doesn't want to." Kiba growled, knowing full well of Gaara's intentions.

"I never said that!" Naruto said, leaning his head back to look up at the brunette.

"So, what is it that you want to do?" Gaara asked, smirking at Kiba.

"Lunch as friends?" Naruto said cautiously.

Gaara sighed heavily. "Yes, that sounds lovely." Gaara turned his head and gritted his teeth. 'Damn you Kiba, I will win him over.'

* * *

><p>Madara followed the faint chakra trail Itachi had left behind; he followed it all the way to Suna. "Hmm, this could be more interesting that I initially thought."<p>

He felt around, seeking Naruto. Upon finding the man, safe inside Suna's walls, he became exponentially more intrigued. "Why would Itachi be protecting him? I know that he would not have come this close and not noticed Naruto."

Madara retreated to the Akatsuki headquarters to plan his evil plans.

**Well, I actually kind of like this chapter! Hmmm, I wonder what Madara's evil plans are!**

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><strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**Be sure you all thank my epic beta Anari Cross! My stories would be nothing without him!**

**Enjoy~!**

Madara paced back and forth within the confines of his office located deep inside the Akatsuki hideout. He needed a plan, but how could he possibly get the Kyuubi from within the walls of Suna? Their previous attack to gain Shukaku had failed! Now they would be up against two demons.

Madara sat at his desk, and interlaced his fingers. "How shall I go about this?" he contemplated.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. He smiled under his mask as he teleported himself to Itachi and Kisame's location.

* * *

><p>Naruto set off on his way to Gaara's office to see if he was free for lunch. He knocked on the door lightly. "Come in." came the tired response.<p>

Naruto walked into the office, and took in Gaara's appearance. "Hey, do you still want to do lunch?" he asked.

Gaara ran a hand through his hair as he looked up at the blonde angel. "Naruto, I would love to...but…" Gaara's voice trailed off as he looked down at his paperwork. There had been some kind of mini crisis at the greenhouse, and he was expected to fix it. All that really meant was switching budgets around to allow for repairs; but that meant taking money from another budget! All this math was starting to make him go insane!

Naruto walked over to the desk, reading a couple of the notices. "Yeah, I see. You're busy." Naruto's voice was cold.

Teal eyes snapped up, searching for blue ones. "Naruto, can we postpone until tomorrow? I really am swamped!" he pleaded. Gaara really wanted this alone time with the blonde.

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. I'll let you finish." he said, turning to exit the office. He stopped at the door. "You'd better not cancel on me tomorrow!" he warned over his shoulder. Naruto slammed the large door and stalked back to the mansion.

Making his way through the large home, he went upstairs to his bedroom and collapsed on the bed. "Man, why did Gaara have to cancel? Now what am I going to do all day?"

* * *

><p>Itachi and Kisame ran through Earth Country.<p>

"Itachi, I've got this sinking feeling that we're going the wrong way!" the sword user shouted at his partner.

"Oh, I'm sorry Kisame, I forgot that _you_ were the one with the chakra reading eyes!" Itachi snarled.

Kisame visibly withdrew. "I'll be quiet."

Before either could react, a man came into their field of vision. They stopped right before the visage of Madara Uchiha.

"Why hello you two!" Madara nearly cackled. "Itachi, I'm surprised you missed the Kyuubi's chakra over in Wind Country."

Kisame shot Itachi a look that clearly said, _'I told you so~!'_

"Oh, really? How interesting. I sensed him in this direction." Itachi lied. "It must be your superior eyes that let you see him back there." Itachi hoped that stroking the older man's ego would do the trick.

Madara scratched his chin. "It is true that your eyes are extremely inferior to mine." Itachi's idea seemed to have worked. "It's no matter though, you've been reassigned."

Both Itachi and Kisame's head shot up. "What do you mean?" the blue man asked.

"I'm taking you off Kyuubi and sending you to Shukaku." Madara stated.

Relief flooded Itachi, not that he let it show, he didn't have to pursue Minato's son any longer. "Alright." he stated, showing his understanding. "Let's go Kisame." Itachi turned around to head back to Suna.

Kisame followed, curious as to why they had been reassigned.

* * *

><p>Naruto got up off the bed. 'Just because Gaara cancelled on me, doesn't mean I can't go out!'<p>

He walked down the stairs and out of the mansion into the fresh air. He took a deep breath. "Ahh!" he sighed. "Now, what shall I do?"

"Are you asking me?" replied some random guy on the street.

Naruto turned his head and blushed. "Ah, no, actually I was asking myself." he said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Oh." said the man, resuming his trek down the street.

"Well that was strange." Naruto whispered. The blonde tapped his chin, resuming his thought process. His mind immediately went to a certain brunette. 'I wonder what Kiba is doing!'

* * *

><p>"Hey, Itachi?" Kisame prompted, running alongside his partner.<p>

"What is it Kisame?" Itachi responded, thoroughly annoyed.

"Why do you think we got reassigned?" Kisame wondered. "I mean, does he not think we're strong enough?"

"Kisame, don't ask retarded questions." was all Itachi answered, picking up some speed to get away from the aggravating man.

* * *

><p>Kiba sat in his hotel, grooming his large companion, who barked appreciatively.<p>

Kiba laughed as Akamaru's eye rolled back and his tail wagged uncontrollably. His ministrations were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Akamaru sniffed. _"Naruto." _ he barked.

Kiba got off the bed excitedly. 'Naruto is here to see me?' As he reached the door, he ran his hands through his hair, and smoothed out his clothes. The brunette grabbed the handle and swung the door open. "Hey Naruto." Kiba smiled.

"Hey Kiba! Whatcha up to?" he asked, inviting himself into the small room. "Hi Akamaru!" he called, spotting the large dog.

Kiba picked up the abandoned brush. "Oh, I'm just grooming Akamaru."

"_Yes, which you so rudely interrupted."_ the dog snapped, sticking his nose up at Naruto.

The blonde laughed. "Whoops, sorry Aka!"

The large dog eyed the man suspiciously. 'Did he understand me?'

"Hey, I thought you and Gaara were supposed to go for lunch." Kiba stated, confused at the blonde's presence; not that he was complaining.

"Yeah, we were, but he bailed on me." Naruto said, taking the brush from Kiba and stroking the dog's fur.

"Oh." Kiba replied, a smirk on his face. Yes, he was glad that Gaara had given up on the alone time.

"_Hooray! Gaara cancelled!" _Akamaru barked.

"Hey! Don't be so happy! Gaara's my friend, and I really wanted to go out for lunch!" Naruto replied, smacking the dog playfully on the back with the brush.

"_Hey, but if you went to lunch, you wouldn't be here to brush me!"_

Naruto just laughed.

Now Akamaru was sure Naruto could understand him! 'This is an interesting development.'

"So, Naruto." Kiba started, getting the man's attention. "Do you still want to go for lunch? You could always go with me!" he suggested.

Naruto's face lit up. "Really? That would be awesome!" he exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air.

Kiba laughed as he went to grab his jacket. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

><p>Madara sighed as he walked to his next location, he hated doing this. "SENPAI!" he screamed, running up to a blonde, as if he had too much caffeine in his system. "Senpai! I just got a message from leader!" he yelled.<p>

The blonde sighed. "What is it?"

"We were reassigned to Kyuubi!" he yelled. "Is Tobi a good boy?" Madara jabbed his finger into his chest to emphasize his point.

Deidara sighed. "Yes, for once Tobi, you are a good boy."

Madara got up and started to dance around, his arms flailing in all directions. "Senapi thinks Tobi is a good boy!" he screamed, making Deidara wince.

"So, did you get any indication of where Kyuubi was?" Deidara asked, sighing at his hyperactive partner.

"Yes! Leader telled Tobi that Naruto is in Suna!" Madara cried, forcing himself to speak like an idiot.

"Alright, we'd better get going then." Deidara said, lifting himself from the chair. "We've got about a day's run ahead of us."

* * *

><p>Kiba, Naruto, and Akamaru made their way down to the entertainment district to find a restraint. "So, Naruto, what do you want for lunch?" the brunette asked.<p>

"Hmmm." Naruto said, tapping his chin in thought. "I'm not sure, I didn't really think about it!"

Kiba looked around and spotted a little café. "How about there?" he said, point to said location.

Naruto looked over. "Hey, that looks great! And it's outside, so they'll allow Akamaru to join us!"

The trio walked over and sat at one of the tables and ordered their food from a waiter. They talked and laughed, and reminisced. As Naruto watched his friend speak, he couldn't help noticing a strange feeling in his gut. It didn't feel like he was sick, in fact it was almost a pleasant sensation, but he just couldn't place it.

Their food came, and they lapsed into a comfortable silence as they ate. Naruto found himself unable to take his eyes off the other man, and he felt his lungs seize every time those chocolate eyes would make contact with his own blue ones. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' he wondered.

Once they had all finished their lunches, they began to walk around the village, trying to see how much they could remember from their tour, when suddenly Shikamaru popped up.

"Come on Kiba! You're the one that had your name added to my mission, the least you could do is help me with it!" the genius yelled.

Kiba sighed. "Well, I guess you're right." He turned to Naruto. "I'll see you later, ok?"

Naruto sighed as well, nodding his head, and waved as Kiba ran off with Shikamaru. The blonde felt a tightness around his heart as he watched the brunette leave. 'What the hell?'

* * *

><p>Deidara had decided that they should walk, and Madara was getting bored. He began running through the trees, making zig-zags through them. "Oooo, Senpai!" He shouted, spotting a dango stand. "Tobi is so exhausted! Can we stop for some dango? Tobi needs food to keep his energy up~!" Madara swung his arms around and jumped up and down. "Senpai, we go get dango now!" he shouted, running up to the small shop and ordering two plates of the treat.<p>

Deidara simply stood, rooted in his spot. "Like hell you're exhausted!" But he begrudgingly followed, not minding the distraction one bit.

* * *

><p>Naruto made his way back into the large mansion, having nothing else to do, and walked into the library. He scanned the books, and found one on human psychology. 'Maybe I can figure out why my body was reacting the way it was today!'<p>

He searched through the table of contents. "Ok, let's see…" he scanned, running his finger across the words, searching for what he wanted. "Ah, here we go! Psychosomatic responses!"

Naruto flipped to the correct page and read. "Psychosomatic response is the reaction of the mind that creates a physical condition change just from the belief that something has actually happened."

He thought back to his reactions. He then flipped to the section in the chapter on emotional psychosomatic responses. Scanning the list of symptoms, he matched up what had happened. He moved his finger to find what emotion it was. "Attraction or love?" he asked the book.

**Please review!**

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><strong>****


	15. Chapter 15

**Be sure you all thank my amazing beta Anari Cross! He is my muse, you would have no chapter if it wasn't for him!**

**Enjoy~!**

Itachi and Kisame sat out in front of the large wall surrounding Suna.

"So, Itachi, how do we get in?" Kisame asked.

Itachi sighed. "We wait a couple hours until they change shifts. They're guard will be down at that point."

Kisame raised an eyebrow at the other man. "It seems like you've sneaked in this village before!"

Itachi sputtered slightly. "N-no! No, I've never sneaked into Suna before."

Kisame narrowed his eyes, not quite believing his partner. "Whatever you say."

* * *

><p>Naruto woke up the next day and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Man, I slept like a rock! I wonder what time it is!" The blonde looked over at the clock. "Wow! It's already noon?" He got up and got dressed, deciding to see if Gaara was up for their rain check.<p>

* * *

><p>Deidara and Madara reached the walls surrounding Suna. They sat on the opposite side of the city, unaware of the other Akatsuki member's presence.<p>

"Senpai!" Madara screamed. "Senpai, how do we get in?"

Deidara glared at his moronic partner. "Be quiet Tobi!" He shoved his unique hand into the pouch on his hip, allowing the hand to eat some clay. "We'll blast our way in of course!"

Madara rolled his eyes under his mask 'Idiot.' he found himself thinking. "Oh, Senpai! You're so smart!"

Deidara pulled out his hand, and morphed the clay into a small sculpture. "You ready Tobi?" he asked, eager to detonate his creation.

"Oh yes Senpai! Tobi is ready!" Madara yelled.

Deidara threw his creation at the wall, nodding to his partner as they backed off. "Ha!" he yelled, letting the bomb detonate.

A large hole was blown in the wall and guards rushed to the spot; meanwhile Deidara and Tobi made their way around the city, entering over the wall in a completely different location.

* * *

><p>Kisame and Itachi moved through the gates, being sure not to alert anyone to their presence. They moved stealthily to the village, locating the one-tailed demon, when suddenly, there was a large "BOOM" from the other side of the village.<p>

"What the hell is Deidara doing here?" Kisame asked, immediately recognizing the work. "Did he not get the memo that we had his assignment?"

"No, I'm sure he did, but if we got his assignment, then he got ours." Itachi said through gritted teeth.

* * *

><p>The large explosion was felt all throughout the village. Naruto, who was standing just outside the Kazekage's office, burst through the large doors. "Gaara! What the hell is going on?"<p>

Gaara looked up, his sand swirling around the office protectively. "I'm not entirely sure yet."

"Shukaku." a deep voice said from behind Naruto. "Come with us."

Naruto turned around to find Itachi standing behind him, his eyes widening. "Itachi."

Those blood red sharingan eyes shifted to the blonde. "Go. Now." he said quietly.

Naruto glanced back to Gaara, who nodded. Teal eyes narrowed, glancing at the dark man. "I got this Naruto."

Naruto pushed past the Uchiha, and ran down the hall. He knew that Gaara could hold himself against an Uchiha, he was fully confident on that point.

He continued to run, searching for someone, he didn't know why, but for some reason he needed to see that Kiba was ok.

* * *

><p>Kiba and Akamaru sat in their hotel. Shikamaru had left earlier for a meeting about the upcoming exams, leaving them to sit bored in the room. "I wonder what Naruto is doing." the man said to his dog.<p>

Before Akamaru had a chance to bark out an answer, a large explosion rocked the building. Kiba was immediately on his feet. "Naruto."

He ran out the door. "I need to find Naruto!" he shouted to his canine companion. "See if you can find his scent!"

* * *

><p>"Senpai! Tobi finds the Kyuubi!" Madara shouted at his partner; the partner that had yet to see through his guise.<p>

"Good job Tobi! Go get him!" Deidara shouted, throwing more of his art at some shinobi coming his way.

Madara ran off in the direction of the demon chakra. 'Finally, I will have your power Kyuubi!'

A flash of blonde hair and red chakra, what luck! The man was just out on the street! "Kyuubi!" he called in his moronic voice. "Tobi found you! Tobi is a good boy!"

Naruto stopped, back facing the person addressing him. He slowly turned, his eyes had bled red, his fingers became like claws, the scars on his cheeks became more intense, and his overall appearance became more feral as he let out a controlled amount of demon chakra. He simply glared at the man.

Madara flinched back in an over-dramatic manor. "My, what a scary face!" he yelled, cowering behind a corner.

Naruto chuckled. "They sent _you_ after me?"

"I'm more powerful than you think!" Madara yelled, running up a tree, stopping upside-down on a branch. He clapped his hands together. "HIDDEN JUTSU!" he yelled. His Akatsuki cloak fell back, gathering around his head. "Frill-Necked Lizard!"

Naruto just stood there, trying to anticipate what would happen next, when suddenly the masked man began to laugh and scratch the back of his head.

"That's all there is to this jutsu." he said!

"Seriously?" Naruto deadpanned.

"NARUTO!" shouted a voice from down another road.

Naruto turned, and found Kiba running towards him. Relief flooded his being as he saw the man was unhurt. "Kiba! I'm so glad you're ok!" he shouted back.

Kiba stopped, and watched in horror, as the visage of Naruto suddenly swirled and disappeared. "What the hell?"

Madara just laughed as he ran back towards his 'partner'.

* * *

><p>Itachi stared down the redheaded Kazekage. "You are a friend of Naruto's?" he asked, sharingan activated, waiting for an attack.<p>

"What's it to you?" Gaara asked, slightly confused. "Where's the other one?"

"Kisame was held up fighting your siblings." Itachi watched as fear entered Gaara's eyes. "Don't worry, he was instructed not to kill them."

Gaara glared. "Why?"

"We don't like to create more casualties than necessary." Itachi stated. "I was instructed to take you back to headquarters for extraction." Gaara visibly tensed. "However, I am unsure, seeing as you are a friend of Naruto's."

Gaara cocked an eyebrow. "Why the hell do you care?" He knew he should probably attack the man while he was talking, but he was too damn curious.

"My reasons are my own." Itachi stated, narrowing his eyes at the redhead. "Do not question your fortune."

Kiba ran for help. He had no clue what just happened, all he did know was that he needed to find the others so they could rescue his beloved blonde. He ran through the Kazekage tower, past Kisame fighting Kankuro, and burst into the office. "Gaara, Naruto disappeared!" he called, not even noticing the Uchiha standing in the room.

"What do you mean disappeared?" Gaara asked frantically.

"I mean, he was there once second. Everything seemed to swirl. And then he was gone! I have no idea what the hell happened!" Kiba screamed.

"Madara!" Itachi shouted, finally making his presence known to the brunette.

Kiba did a double-take. "Uh, why aren't you attacking? Not that I'm complaining, but seriously…"

"My reasoning does not matter. All that matters is that we get Naruto back." Itachi said, pulling out a scroll.

"This is a map of the nearest Akatsuki hideouts. I will be heading back, and will free Naruto. I doubt I will need assistance, but he may need help once outside, so a stand-by medic would be helpful!" Itachi said, addressing Gaara.

"Understood." he responded, taking the scroll.

Itachi retreated, taking Kisame with him, leaving Kiba and Gaara to deal with what to do next.

"Do you think we can trust him?" Kiba asked.

Gaara rolled the scroll open on his desk, glancing at the indicated locations. "This seems to be accurate enough. But we don't know if he's just setting up a trap for me."

Kiba glanced at the map, not really sure of what to say.

"I say we take the chance, for Naruto's sake." Gaara proposed, something to which Kiba fully agreed. "We will do like Itachi said, we will send away teams with medics to these locations, and wait for Naruto to come out."

"Woah, no, I will not sit by passively, while trusting Itachi to set Naruto free!" Kiba yelled.

"Well, what the hell do you want us to do? Rush into an Akatsuki hideout and face shinobi we have no chance of beating? Or trusting the one chance we have to save Naruto?" Gaara retorted.

Kiba growled low in his throat. He knew he would never beat Gaara in this argument, logic was on his side. So, the brunette simply stared at the map, memorizing all the locations. 'If he won't help me, I'll have to take matters into my own hands!'

**Anyone else getting sick of my constant scene changes? Hahaha XD**

***sigh* I've gone so far off the original outline, that I'm to the point of winging this…**

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	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you Anari Cross for being the most epic beta that ever lived!**

**Just so you all know, the whole Pein=Nagato thing just makes my brain hurt…so Pein is just Pein.**

**Enjoy~!**

Naruto awoke to find himself chained to a wall. "What the hell happened?" The last thing he could remember was seeing Kiba…

"I took you from the village." said a vaguely familiar voice.

Naruto looked up, to find that masked idiot Akatsuki member. "_You_ took me?" Naruto said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes, I did." he said. "And I'm not the idiot you presume me to be. My name is not Tobi."

The Akatsuki member lifted his head, allowing Naruto to see through the hole to his activated sharingan eyes. "My name is Madara Uchiha, and I am the leader of the Akatsuki."

* * *

><p>Gaara assembled his troops. He was going to stick to the plan that Itachi had laid out. The Kazekage was unsure as to why, but he felt that he could trust the older Uchiha. He didn't care what the Inuzuka said, the plan would work. It just had to…<p>

* * *

><p>Deidara stumbled into the hideout. "Tobi?" he called, searching for his partner. The attack had lasted several hours, and he hadn't seen hide nor hair of the man since he was screaming about find Kyuubi.<p>

He turned down a hallway. "Tobi?" Suddenly, he heard voices. He moved quickly and quietly, stopping just outside the door to the room where the voices were.

"Listen, Naruto, you have a choice. You can either work with us, or we will just take the Kyuubi from you." said a deep voice.

Deidara poked his head around, just enough to see into the room. He had never heard this deep voice before, and he was curious as to who it was.

"Ha!" yelled a blonde that was chained to the wall. "I would never willingly work with you!" The blonde spat at the man, causing him to take a step back.

Deidara had to hold back his gasp of surprise as he took in the familiar swirled mask. 'Tobi?' He put on a brave face and walked into the room. "Tobi! There you are! I've been looking all over for y-"

"Cut the crap Deidara, I know you've been spying from around the corner." Madara hissed. Deidara flinched. "God, you are a horrible shinobi if you couldn't sense that I was more powerful than I let on!"

Deidara looked down at the floor. "Whatever Tobi."

"And stop calling me Tobi. My name is Madara."

Deidara's head snapped up. "Uchiha?" He instantly felt his blood boil as he looked through the small hole in the mask to see that sharingan eye he hated so much. "And you felt the need to lie, because?"

"Because I needed everyone to believe that Pein was in charge. He was the perfect pawn in this." Madara said, chuckling behind his mask.

Naruto watched the exchange between the two Akatsuki members. 'Maybe I can figure a way out while they are distracted!' He looked up at his chains, noticing that they zapped chakra. 'So, there is no way I can use a jutsu to get out of here, I'll have to try brute force.' Naruto pulled at his bonds trying to break them, only to have the wind knocked out of him as a fist connected with his stomach.

"Stop that Kyuubi! You're annoying me." Madara said through gritted teeth.

Naruto gasped for air while attempting to glare at his kidnapper. Deidara scoffed and walked off, and Madara chuckled. "Do you really think you can intimidate _me_? I'm Madara Uchiha, I have defied death in ways you cannot possibly imagine!"

Madara's chuckle slowly became a full bodied laugh. "You are such a pitiful being Kyuubi, getting stuck inside a weakling like this dobe!"

Naruto's glare intensified as Madara walked towards the door. Madara left, closing the door behind him. "I am not a dobe." Naruto muttered darkly, pulling on his bonds once again.

* * *

><p>Kiba ran out of the Kazekage tower, Akamaru in tow. "If he isn't going to take initiative, then we will!"<p>

"_What is your plan?" _the huge dog barked.

"I memorized the map that Itachi gave Gaara. We are going to hit every location, and the ones that we smell Naruto in, we will storm and get him back!" Kiba responded, picking up more speed as he passed through the gates of Suna.

"_Whoa, wait a second!" _Akamaru barked, stopping in his tracks. _"We can't just run in an Akatsuki hideout! That's suicide."_

Kiba stopped, and flashed a shining grin at his companion. "No, that's love." he said, running off in the direction of the first hideout.

Akamaru took off running after his master. 'Damnit Kiba, just don't die.'

* * *

><p>"Naruto." whispered a familiar deep voice.<p>

The limp blonde cracked open one of his blue eyes and looked up to find Itachi in the dark room with him. "What do you want now?" he groaned.

"I'm here to get you out." the raven whispered.

"Yeah right! You also said you would lead the Akatsuki away from me!" the blonde scoffed.

"I tried Naruto, I really did!" Itachi's eyes darkened. "But Madara's eyes are better than mine." Itachi pulled a key out of his cloak and undid the chains. "I've contacted Gaara and he has troops waiting outside to take you back to Suna. Now, we just have to get out of here!"

Naruto rubbed his raw red wrists. "Ok, which way do we go?" he said, refusing to look at his savior. Even though he agreed to follow the man, he didn't trust him.

Itachi walked to the far wall and tapped it a couple times. "This way." he said as he knocked a specific spot and the wall opened.

Naruto went through the opening, and Itachi followed, closing it back up in an attempt to hide their tracks. The tunnel was dark and dank, but Naruto pushed through until a bright light overtook the pair.

"This is where it will get tricky. This tunnel will open up into the main hall, if it is empty, we can just run for it. If it isn't, then there will be a bit of waiting in our future." Itachi whispered.

Naruto nodded in understanding, stopping at the entrance so Itachi could look around with his sharingan. "There are three out there, we will have to wait."

The pair sat in that tunnel for maybe an hour, when suddenly shouting got Naruto's attention. He shifted his blue eyes to search through the opening for the voice he knew so well.

"YOU GIVE NARUTO BACK!" Kiba shouted at Pein, who was leisurely sitting in a chair in the main hall.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" he asked tiredly.

"My name is Kiba Inuzuka, and I am going to slaughter you if you don't give him back!" the brunette shouted.

Pein got out of his chair and slowly walked towards the man. "Listen, I can't just _give_ you Kyuubi, he's part of a plan that will create peace."

"Don't call him Kyuubi, his name is Naruto!" Kiba said, his eyes becoming more animalistic as his anger rose.

Pein just laughed at the brunette. "Besides, what makes you think that you can defeat us?"

"Because I love him! Love will give me the strength to slaughter you!" Kiba lunged at Pein, only do be thrown to the side, into a wall, by a simple wave of a hand.

"Contrary to popular belief, love does NOT conquer all!" Pein said. "In fact, love had no place in our world today. In this world, we must fight only for ourselves, love will only weigh us down and get us killed."

Kiba coughed, blood spilling out of his mouth as he did. "You're wrong." he said as he slowly lifted himself from the rubble. He once again launched himself at the man, using Akamaru as a decoy; once again he was thrown into a wall.

"I'm wrong am I?" Pein chuckled. "If I'm wrong, then why are you the one bleeding?"

Kiba tried to stand, and found his leg to be broken. He cringed at the pain. 'How do I do this? I can't even stand!'

Before Kiba could even make a move, he found himself flying at Pein and with a flick of the studded man's wrist, he was flying in the opposite direction. In the impact, the wall behind him crumbled and he smacked his head on a rock, falling unconscious.

"NO!" yelled Naruto coming out of the tunnel and running to the brunette.

Pein chuckled behind the blonde. "So, you escaped. How amusing."

Naruto stood, anger flooding his veins.

"Did you come to save your friend? Well, I'm sorry to tell you that you're too late." Pein said.

Blonde hair became thicker, and a red chakra began leaking out of tan skin.

"I wonder though, did you even love him back? Or did he sacrifice himself for no reason?" Pein mused.

A powerful fist connected with Pein's jaw and the man was flown backwards. The hit was so quick, that he didn't have time to use his jutsu to push him away, and the red chakra surrounding the hand burned his flesh.

Naruto looked up. "I did love him, and you have no right to talk about Kiba like that." he growled in a frightening feral voice.

Itachi sat in the tunnel, watching as Naruto grew three chakra tails. 'I must help him…for Minato.' Itachi activated his blood-red sharingan, planning on overtaking their "leader".

"Naruto!" he called, hoping to bring the blonde out of his angry trance. "Take Kiba out to the others, I'll take care of Pein."

Naruto turned his murderous red eyes at the raven. "Why should I? He killed the man I loved!" He snapped his gaze back on the groaning form in front of him, and flung his body in that direction, catching Pein's stomach with his chakra covered foot.

Naruto snarled at the man. "Have you never been in love? If you did then you would know that love indeed conquers all. I will prove that by killing you." Naruto smashed his fist into Pein's face again. "Why won't you fight me?" he called.

Pein made a hand sign and flicked his wrist, and Naruto felt a slight pressure attempt to send him backwards, but it barely budged him. The blonde smirked at him. "That weak shit won't work on a man in love."

Just as Naruto was about to make his final blow, Itachi called out to him once more. "Naruto! Kiba's awake! You must get him some help!"

The red chakra instantly disappeared from Naruto's form as his blue eyes snapped to the now moving body across the room. "KIBA!" he shouted, getting up off Pein and running over.

Kiba groaned as he opened a brown eye. He looked around, and his vision slowly cleared, settling on a bright blue color. "Naruto?" he whispered, unable to believe he was there. "Am I dead?"

Naruto bent down and captured bruised lips. "I'm so sorry it took so long for me to realize it. I love you Kiba!" he said, tears streaming down his face. "I'm so glad you're alive!"

Kiba blinked. And blinked again. Then, he blinked some more. "Ok, now I know I'm dead, because this must be heaven."

Naruto laughed and kissed the brunette again. "No, this isn't heaven, and we're still in danger. Can you stand?"

Kiba shook his head. "No, my leg is broken."

"Well, how is your other leg? You can use me as your crutch! We need to get out of here before Madara shows up!" Naruto said hurriedly.

Kiba nodded and started an attempt to lift himself, stumbling slightly. Naruto helped him, and draped Kiba's arm around his neck. "Ok, let's get out of here!"

They ran out the front door, immediately spotting the Sand shinobi troops outside, Akamaru limping along behind them.

* * *

><p>Itachi approached the abandoned body of Pein. "You know, I never liked you. You took credit for leadership when you knew for a fact that you didn't do shit."<p>

Pein groaned in…well…pain as he looked up at Itachi through his swollen eyes. His purple rinnegan was no match for Itachi's Tsukuyomi and he fell victim to the genjutsu, dying from the horrible torture he was put through.

**Yes, I know, I can't write a fight scene to save my life – hence why it was a bit rushed, but hopefully it got the point across! Oh, and who else loves my 'love gives you strength!' clichés? I know I did! XD**

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	17. Chapter 17

**Hey! Hey you! Yes, you! Do you like my story? If so, you should totally check out my beta, Anari Cross! His stories are amazing!**

**Sorry this took so long everybody! My writer's block has been killing me...and on top of that my hours got tripled at work, so I never seem to be able to write anymore! I stayed up for a few hours last night to write this. It's not my favorite chapter, but it gets be back on the writer's horse! Hope you all...  
><strong>

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The trio made their way out into the desert, no idea about which way to go. "Akamaru!" Naruto shouted behind him. "Itachi said that Gaara sent troops out here! Can you sniff them out?"

"_I can sure as hell try!" _barked the large dog. He stuck his nose in the air and sniffed around. _"I think I've picked them up, but all this dry air and sand is making it difficult!"_ Akamaru took off in the direction of the scent, and Naruto followed him as fast he could while supporting Kiba, who was quickly losing consciousness.

The group ran for what seemed like hours until they finally came across shinobi. "Help!" Naruto called out, hoping someone would meet them. All three of them were physically and emotionally drained.

The few sand shinobi ran from their cover in the dunes to assist the weary fighters. Gaara soon followed them and watched as Naruto's blue eyes filled with worry for his brunette friend. 'That's right, they're just friends, he's worried about his friend.' the redhead thought to himself.

"Naruto!" Gaara called, running up to the man. "Are you ok?" The Kazekage wrapped his arms around the shaky blonde.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit chakra exhausted. Is Kiba going to be ok?" Naruto asked, looking past Gaara.

Gaara led Naruto by the hand over to the medics. "I'm sure he'll be ok. Let's get you fixed up."

"No Gaara, I'm fine, let the medics focus on Kiba!" Naruto said, his voice becoming slightly agitated.

Gaara sighed heavily. "He'll be fine. Stop worrying so much."

"Of course I'm going to worry Gaara! I-I love him!" A small smile graced Naruto's face as he remembered Kiba's reaction.

Gaara faced away from Naruto, a heavy frown covering his face. "What brought on this?"

"Well, it's kinda been bubbling to the surface, even before he told me that he liked me. I've always denied feelings that I've had for others because I seriously thought that no one would love a monster; and I accepted that as an inevitability. I guess when I found out otherwise, my emotions went into overload. But, while I was chained to that wall, it finally hit me. I promised myself that if I made it out of there alive, I was going to tell Kiba my feelings and pray it wasn't all just some sick joke on his part." Naruto said, his voice filled with a humorless chuckle.

Gaara's eyes widened, he had no idea that was how Naruto felt about everyone seeking his affection. He didn't know Naruto thought it was just an elaborate joke set up to make him look like a fool. "Naruto, you are loved by so many people around you, and we all just want you to be happy no matter who you choose."

Naruto smiled lightly at him. "Thanks Gaara." The blonde made his way over to the medics to check on Kiba, who was now unconscious. "What's going to happen to him?" he asked.

"Well, he has several broken bones and a ruptured lung. But he should be stable enough to move back to Suna within the hour. Once we're at the hospital, we'll know more." the medic said.

* * *

><p>Madara Uchiha wandered out into the main hall. "Pein, how is the prison…er…" He glanced around the room. "What the hell happened here?" He moved around, inspecting the damage. "Pein?" he called.<p>

"He's dead." said Itachi stepping out from the shadows.

"What happened?" Madara asked, his voice bereft of emotion.

Itachi just blinked, and used his normal voice, not giving away anything. "Kyuubi escaped with the help of some Suna shinobi."

The elder Uchiha activated his sharingan, not trusting Itachi. "I see." he grumbled, glancing around.

Itachi hid the nerves he felt while lying to Madara fairly well. He was almost certain he could get away with it. Pein had suffered enough damage from Naruto's attack to cover his tracks. The room spoke for itself; there was no way he could be implicat-

"Why weren't you able to stop him? You have the mangekyo sharingan, and that can control the Kyuubi. Why couldn't you stop the escape?" asked Madara, examining Pein's remains.

'Goddamnit.' Itachi internally screamed. "I was battling other shinobi. There was no way I could've stopped him at the same time." If Itachi was nervous, he didn't let it show.

"Oh really." Madara said, moving to examine one of the damaged walls. "Interesting."

* * *

><p>Naruto sat in the dark hospital room, staring at the still body of the man he loved. His leg bounced impatiently. The doctor had told him that Kiba should be waking up soon and Naruto didn't want to miss it; but he really really had to pee.<p>

"Aah, I can't take it anymore!" Naruto shouted, shooting up from his seat. His outburst made the dog sleeping in the corner lift his head. "Akamaru, bark if he wakes up." With that, Naruto ran into the bathroom connected to the room and _relieved_ himself. Just as he was zipping his pants back up, a loud barking came from outside the door.

Naruto ran out of the small bathroom and to the side of the bed just as Kiba's eyes fluttered open. "N-naruto?"

The blonde immediately bent down to capture the man's lips. It was a simple sweet kiss that only lasted a few seconds, but it held untold depths of passion. "Welcome back Kiba." Naruto said, a small playing on his lips.

Kiba's mouth curved into a large grin. "Naruto!" he yelled happily, reaching up his arms and instantly wincing at the pain.

"Try not to move so much. You had some broken ribs and a punctured lung. They were able to patch you up, but you're going to need to spend some time here recovering." Naruto said, cooing over the boy.

"What happened after I blacked out?" Kiba asked, taking note of his hospital room.

Naruto nervously scratched the back of his head. "Well, you see, I don't really remember myself."

"Oh, I see." Kiba said, his eyes falling downward, noticing the bandages on tan arms. "Are you hurt? Are you ok?" he asked, his voice suddenly full of worry.

"I'm fine Kiba! I got released yesterday! I've been here since." Naruto said happily.

"_Oh, thanks for the concern Kiba. I'm alright too."_ came a bark from the corner.

Kiba looked over. "Akamaru! I didn't even know you were here! How're you doing little buddy?"

"_Just a broken leg, but otherwise I'm fine."_ he barked back.

"The vet said his leg will heal just fine because it was a clean break." Naruto said, filling in Akamaru's blanks.

"_You know, I've been meaning to ask you. Can you actually understand me?"_ Akamaru asked.

"Yeah, I always have been able to." Naruto shifted his gaze to Kiba. "Can't everyone?"

"No Naruto, only Inuzuka's can." Kiba said, completely dumbfounded.

"_Well, actually, on rare occasions, people that are the mate of an Inuzuka can as well."_ Akamaru explained. _"I've been trying to decided if I should tell you that or not. I wanted to make sure that Naruto found his way to Kiba on his own, not because he felt forced."_

Kiba growled at the large dog while Naruto just laughed. "Thanks for that Akamaru." the blonde said.

Akamaru limped over to the bed and hoisted his front paws up so that he could look at Kiba. _"I'm glad you're ok."_

Kiba winced as he lifted his arm to pet his best friend. "I'm glad you're ok too. I'm glad we're all ok."

* * *

><p>Madara walked back into his office. 'Itachi has betrayed me, that much I know. But what I can't seem to figure out is why!' The man picked up some kind of decorative bowl from his desk. He growled as his fingers traced the pattern. 'Well, I'll have to do something about this. Perhaps I can use it to my advantage…' He randomly threw the bowl at the wall, smashing it into several pieces; cackling like an idiot. "Oh Kyuubi, don't worry, I'll be back for you."<p>

**Yay a short filler chapter with epic forshadowing! XD – This story isn't over yet! Please review with your thoughts and ideas!**

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	18. Chapter 18

**Everyone say thank you to my beta Anari Cross for being so awesome!**

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Kiba had been in the hospital for a few days and was getting rather antsy. "Hey Doc!" he yelled as a man with a white lab coat walked in the room. "When can I get out of here?"

The doctor chuckled and walked over to the bed, lifting the chart that was hanging on the end. "Well, you're bones are healing up rather nicely. However, the breaks were severe enough that you will need to keep the cast on for a month at least."

"A month!" Kiba inquired.

The bathroom door opened behind the doctor, and Naruto entered the room. "Hey, what did I miss?"

"I have to wear this cast for a month!" Kiba said, already dreading it.

Naruto walked over and took his seat next to Kiba's bed. "So, what precautions will he have to take?" he asked, addressing the doctor. Kiba crossed his arms and grunted in annoyance that Naruto didn't share his outrage.

"Well, he'll be off missions the entire time. He will also have to use crutches." The doctor said, not looking up from his clipboard and flipping through some attached papers.

"Crutches?" Kiba croaked.

Naruto shifted his gaze to the brunette. "Yes, crutches. What did you expect? You broke your leg! You can't exactly walk on it!"

Kiba just grumbled something about stupid blondes, and rescues in response.

"Hey, Kiba, stop complaining! At least you're getting out of the hospital!" Naruto said, mock-glaring at the young man.

"Yeah, that's true…"Kiba grumbled

"And you'll get to see Akamaru! I know you've missed him!" Naruto added.

Kiba nodded his head, suddenly feeling a little better. Once he had woken up, they removed his large canine to the veterinary hospital to rest his leg, and Kiba hadn't been able to see him since.

"I'll just go and get your discharge paperwork." the doctor said, exiting the room.

Kiba glanced at the tired looking blonde next to his bed. "Hey you." he started. "Why don't you get some sleep, I know you haven't had much this week staying here with me."

Naruto yawned. "Naw, I can wait until we get you to the hotel." he said, stretching his arms up and popping his back. "Besides, what could you do in this empty hospital room without me?"

A devilish grin spread across Kiba's face. "Oh, I could think of something. Granted, you'd still be in my head."

A light pink blush dusted Naruto's face. "Kiba!" he said, embarrassed.

The brunette laughed; he loved seeing his boyfriend so flustered. He reached a hind up, cupping Naruto's face, and pulling the man closer. "You're so adorable when you blush." Kiba connected their lips for a chaste, but sweet kiss. When he pulled away, Naruto's head was stuck in place, eyes still closed. Kiba chuckled. "You just can't get enough, can you!"

Naruto shamelessly shook his head and pushed forward, reconnecting their lips, enjoying the unique taste of his boyfriend. A tongue darted out to swipe against Naruto's lips, and he parted them allowing Kiba to explore his mouth. As Kiba's tongue glided over Naruto's, both men moaned; enjoying every sensation. A cough brought them out of their lust-filled trance.

The doctor stood in the doorway, a blush across his face. "I-I brought your paperwork. Press your call button when you get done and a nurse will bring in a wheelchair. You can get you're crutches on the way out." The doctor set down a clipboard of paperwork and a pen on Kiba's nightstand and hastily exited the room.

Naruto sat back in his chair, another light blush dusting his face at being caught, while Kiba just laughed. The brunette picked put the clipboard and started to fill out the forms.

"Hey, this form says it needs to be filled out by whoever will be taking care of me." Kiba said, daring a glance at the blonde. The pair had never talked about what they would do once Kiba was discharged.

Naruto looked up and reached a hand out to take the clipboard. "Alright. Give me that pen." he said, pointing to Kiba's hand.

A huge grin cracked across Kiba's face as he passed the pen. "So, does this mean you're going to be staying in the hotel with me?"

Naruto stopped writing and looked up, an eyebrow cocked. "Well, duh. Did you think I would make my boyfriend take care of himself while I had a sleepover with Gaara?"

Kiba growled at the idea. "Well, no."

"Exactly." Naruto said, signing his name at the bottom of the form. "All done!" The blonde passed the clipboard back.

"Thanks." Kiba said, flipping the page to fill out the last one. "So, if you're taking care of me, does that mean you're off missions for a month as well?"

"Yup! But that's ok. After getting kidnapped, I don't really feel like jumping right back in. I'd much rather spend time with you." Naruto confessed.

It was Kiba's turn to blush. "Really?"

"Yea Kiba! I know it took me forever to realize it, but I really do like you; I like you so much more than I ever thought I could like someone." Naruto said as if he had just talked about the weather. "You almost done with those?" he said, pointing at the clipboard.

"Oh, yeah." Kiba said, signing his name on the designated line and pressing his call button.

A few minutes passed, and a nurse came into the room, pushing a wheelchair. "Hello there Inuzuka-san. You all set to get out of here?" she asked in a sickly-sweet voice.

"You bet your ass I am!" Kiba grunted.

The girl giggled. "Alright, let me just help you up."

Naruto glared at the obviously flirting nurse and walked over to the other side of the bed. "No, that's ok, I can do that." he said, reaching out and taking Kiba's hand.

"Oh, ok." she said, walking back to push the wheelchair closer.

Naruto pulled Kiba's arm over his shoulder and wrapped and arm around the brunette's back. Being mindful of the many bandages and stitches, Naruto lifted the slightly larger man and helped him into the chair.

"Good. Now I can wheel you out." the nurse said, batting her eyelashes. Naruto just continued to glare as the woman pushed his boyfriend down the hall in front of him. Once they reached the elevator, the nurse pushed Kiba in, and followed in herself. Just as Naruto was about to board, she put up a hand. "Sorry, hospital regulation. You'll have to catch the next one."

Naruto glared heavily. He knew damn well that this was no hospital regulation; he knew that his boyfriend was attractive, and would gain a lot of attention – that didn't mean he had to like it. The blonde grunted and walked towards the stairs instead.

The door to the elevator closed. "So, where are you staying?" the nurse asked. "Because if you're close, we could go to dinner later."

Kiba grunted at the woman's poor attempt at asking him out. "Actually, I'm staying in a hotel with my boyfriend. You know, that blonde you said couldn't get on the elevator with us." Kiba looked up just in time to see the woman's face blanch.

"Oh." was the only syllable she seem to be able to muster.

The elevator reached the main floor and the doors slid open to reveal Naruto waiting for them. "Hey babe!" Kiba greeted as the nurse passed the wheelchair to the man.

Naruto leaned down to capture Kiba's lips; his eyes staying open to concentrate a glare at the nurse. She meeped and ran away, leaving Naruto feeling satisfied. As he pulled away, he switched his gaze to Kiba. "How was the ride down?"

"Pretty smooth. I even got to make all the blood drain from that nurse's face! It was really fun!" Kiba said chuckling.

Naruto smiled, and took the handles of the chair. "Alright, let's get out of here."

"Don't forget my…" Kiba gulped. "crutches."

Naruto laughed. "Don't you worry, I wouldn't forget those!" The blond produced a pair of crutches and laid them across Kiba's lap. The brunette groaned in response as the chair was wheeled out of the hospital.

Naruto wheeled the chair the three blocks to the hotel, stopping at the front door. He helped Kiba stand, and adjust his crutches. Slowly the two made their way inside, up the elevator, and finally into the hotel room.

The brunette collapsed on the bed, so glad to be out of the hospital. He hated hospitals. They always smelled so strongly of antiseptic and illness. While he was sprawled at the foot of the bed, a thought hit him like a ton of bricks. "Naruto." he said, lifting his head to gaze at the blonde.

"Yeah?" Naruto called from the bathroom, where he was washing his hands.

"There's only one bed." Kiba stated, slightly worried.

"Yeah, I noticed that too. Are you ok with sharing? If not I can go downstairs and get a different room." Naruto said, walking out and clicking the bathroom light off.

"I'm ok with it, if you are." Kiba said in a shaky voice. He genuinely didn't oppose the idea of sharing; he was just nervous that he would end up molesting his blonde in the night.

Naruto walked over to the bed, helping Kiba get up on it better. He slid the blankets up, stripped off his shirt, and climbed in next to the brunette. "I'm ok with it." Naruto yawned again. "I think I'll take a nap."

Kiba watched every movement the blonde made, mesmerized with the way his muscles extended and contracted. "Yeah." he muttered dumbly in response. "I-I guess I'll join you." he said, pulling his own shirt off. He laid down on his side, facing Naruto.

The blonde smiled sleepily, and turned so that his back was to Kiba. He scooted back, and grabbed Kiba's arm, draping it across his body. "Alright babe." he said, closing his eyes and yawning again.

Kiba was still in a bit of a stupor, even more so now that he had an arm draped around Naruto's bare midriff. He at least had enough of his brain to know to cuddle up to the man. He closed his eyes, and the pair drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Madara moved down the hall of their now partially demolished hideout. He was looking for a specific room. He passed doors, glancing at the numbers. "6…7….8….9! Here it is! 9: Kisame Hoshigaki." he muttered to himself, pushing the door open.<p>

The blue shark-man looked up from reworking the wrappings of his sword to see who was there. "Ah, Madara. What do you want?"

"Kisame, I need you to tell me about Itachi's behavior lately." Madara said, hoping that the information would give him some clue as to what could have shifted the other's loyalty.

"What do you mean?" Kisame asked, setting his sword aside. "He acts like himself. Bland and confident."

Madara growled at Kisame's lack of help. "Goddamnit Kisame! I need _real_ answers!"

Kisame was slightly taken aback. "What the hell is that supposed to mean. Itachi hasn't done anything out of the ordinary."

Madara forced himself to calm down; pinching the bridge of his nose. The man stormed out of the room without another word. 'I guess that idiot is as mentally worthless as I always thought.'

**Alright, more filler. But hey, Kiba got really hurt in that fight with Pein, and he needs to heal. And as all Naruto fans know, all wounds can be healed by the power of filler! XD**

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	19. Chapter 19

**A round of applause for my beta Anari Cross!**

**Enjoy~!**

Madara sat in his study, pacing the room. He found himself to be doing that a lot lately. 'I'm surrounded by fucking idiots!' he thought, glaring at each thing in the room.

He paused in his pacing as an idea hit him; a look of accomplishment strewn across his face. Madara moved to stand in front of his window, his mouth twisting into a smirk. "That's it Kyuubi, I've got you now…"

* * *

><p>Another week had passed and Kiba spent most of his days clawing at the obtrusive cast on his leg. "FUCK!" he screamed, when he realized for the billionth time that he could not reach the god forsaken itch that was driving him crazy.<p>

Naruto ran into the room at the cry. "What's wrong?" he said worriedly, taking note of Kiba sitting on the end of the bed with his casted leg bent at the knee and curved around the front of the brunette.

"My stupid leg itches!" he yelled, letting out all his frustrations.

The blonde laughed at the man. "Seriously? That's why you're in here screaming?"

"Yes Naruto, that is why I'm screaming! I can't seem to get at it with this STUPID CAST IN THE WAY!" he said, resuming clawing at the offending material.

Naruto walked over and placed his hands on top of Kiba's. "An itch is the physical manifestation of a desire for something; whether it be to move, or just get a cast off your leg. It will go away if you just ignore it."

"And how the hell do you expect me to ignore this?" Kiba asked completely exasperated.

A devilish grin covered the blonde's face. "Well, I have one idea." Naruto glanced at Kiba; blue met brown.

Kiba's eyes widened a fraction at Naruto's implication. "W-what would that be?" he asked, suddenly nervous.

Naruto took a step forward, placing a hand on Kiba's shoulder, and lightly shoving him so his back was on the bed. "You'll just have to wait and see." he said with a suggestive wink. Naruto uncurled Kiba's leg so that it too was hanging off the bed, an placed a knee on the bed.

Slowly Naruto crawled over the recovering man, being mindful of the healing injuries. "N-naru?" Kiba said, still feeling nervous; it scared him how much he hoped this was going the way he thought it was – they had only been together for a couple weeks.

Kiba looked up into the blue eyes hovering above him. "So, how's that itch doing?" Naruto asked, a smirk sitting comfortably on his face.

Kiba's casted foot twitched, as well as another appendage. This time it was Kiba's turn to smirk. "It still itches."

Naruto chuckled slightly as he leaned down to capture the other's lips. Kiba's tongue swiped against his lips, seeking permission; the blonde readily gave it. Naruto moaned at the sensation of that delectable tongue mapping every inch of his mouth.

Naruto rolled his hips forward, seeking friction against his increasingly tight pants; it was Kiba's turn to moan as those hips made contact with his own. He rolled his hips upward as best he could with his injuries.

The blonde pulled back and sat up. He reached down to the hem of his shirt and slowly inched it up, tossing it across the room once his head was free.

Kiba simply watched, his arousal becoming more apparent as he watched the tan skin become exposed to him. All he wanted to do was taste it; to feel every ripple of muscle. He reached up a hand, tracing lines across the other's chest and stomach; pleased to see goose bumps cover the skin under his touch.

Naruto watched as Kiba traced his lines and shivered in pleasure. He reached down to grasp the hem of Kiba's shirt. He pulled it up, stopping when the way Kiba was laying became a hindrance. Kiba got the hint, and lifted upper back off the bed and allowed Naruto to pull the fabric off his body.

Naruto tossed Kiba's shirt to join his own, and glanced back at the man below him. The blonde smirked as he met lust-filled brown eyes with his own. He leaned down and gave Kiba a peck on the lips before descending, kissing a trail down Kiba's jaw and neck. He stopped at a half-hard, dusty nipple and took it in his mouth, enjoying the way the rest of the body twitched in pleasure.

As Naruto sucked and nipped at the now hard nipple, he ran his hands up and down Kiba's sides and stomach, loving the feel of his skin. Blue eyes glanced up, and the blonde shivered when he saw Kiba watching him so intently. He gave that nipple one last nip before moving to the other. He watched as Kiba threw his head back in pleasure as Naruto's mouth engulfed the other hard nub.

"Nng, Naru." Kiba moaned, rolling his hips into his boyfriend.

Naruto sat back up, and Kiba groaned at the loss of contact. The brunette looked up, and saw a mischievous glint pass through blue eyes, and shivered as his mind raced. Naruto simply stared at him. "Naru?" he finally asked, wondering if that was it.

Naruto slowly slid off the bed, and leaned over Kiba, undoing the clasp on the brunette's pants. He slowly pulled them off struggling slightly at trying to get the fabric off the cast. Kiba's boxer's soon followed. The blonde stood, and simply let his eyes map out the naked form of his boyfriend; he let them rest on Kiba's sizable cock as he licked his lips.

Kiba pulled himself into a sitting position at the end of the bed. He snaked his fingers into the hem of Naruto's pants, pulling the blonde out of his daze. Blue eyes watched as Kiba undid his pants, and pulled down both his pants and boxers in one swift motion. Naruto kicked them off to the side with the rest of their clothes and bent down, so that he sat on his knees in front of the bed.

Kiba watched in fascination as Naruto licked his lips. Blue eyes tilted up to meet his own, that glint flitting across those eyes again.

The blonde reached a hand out and gently gripped the base of Kiba's cock, and the brunette gasped. Naruto's pink tongue poked tantalizingly out of his mouth, as his neared the appendage. He experimentally licked the tip and enjoyed the shiver of pleasure that he could feel on every inch of Kiba's body.

Naruto dragged his tongue, base to tip, along the underside of Kiba's penis, before taking it into his mouth and sliding it in as far as he could. He bobbed his head up and down the shaft, swirling his tongue over every inch of flesh he could, and used a hand to pump the length he couldn't reach.

Kiba moaned loudly, his breath coming out in pants. "Shit Naru~" he moaned, stretching out the last syllable as Naruto's mouth reached the head and that talented tongue flicked across the slit.

Naruto moaned, sending delicious vibrations from his throat and down Kiba's shaft. The waves of pleasure caused spots to appear before Kiba's eyes.

"Naru-to" Kiba' panted. "I-I think I'm gonna-" Kiba let out a feral moan and threw his head back as he came hard into Naruto's awaiting mouth.

The blonde moaned as Kiba's cum slid down his throat. He lapped up all the remnants from Kiba's cock, and used his finger to get what had leaked out onto his face.

Kiba just watched as Naruto swiped a drop of his cum off that delicious tan face with a finger, and stick it in his mouth. The blonde moaned as if it was the most delicious treat he'd ever had.

Blue eyes looked up, Naruto's finger still in his mouth. Kiba licked his lips at the erotic sight, and felt his cock twitching back to life.

The blonde stood up as he slowly removed his finger from his mouth. He roughly shoved Kiba back so he was once again laying on the bed. "Kiba, you're still hard." he pointed out.

Kiba moaned at the look in Naruto's eyes. A tan body climbed back over his, and he gasped as their erections brushed against each other. Naruto smirked, and rolled his hips forward, rubbing their members together rhythmically.

Soon, Naruto was moaning and panting as well; a sight which Kiba found he liked even more than Naruto sucking his cock. Kiba leaned up and connected their lips, tasting his own cum mixing with the unique taste of his boyfriend.

Naruto supported himself with one hand on the bed, and reached in between their two bodies to grasp both of their hard members together and stroke them in time with his thrusts.

"Kiba!" Naruto yelled, as he came on their stomachs, Kiba close behind him.

Naruto laid down on the bed and snuggled up to his boyfriend. Lids closed over blue eyes as he breathed in the scent of their sex.

"Naruto?" came a voice from next to him.

"Yes Kiba?" he responded, peeking one eye open only to find a smirking Kiba.

"My leg still itches."

**Ha, well, there you go. A little smut as a reward for sticking with me for so long! I know you all have been waiting for it for a while now – and there is a good reason for that! I am horrible at writing smut! So, I hope you enjoyed it, even if it was poorly written! XD**

* * *

><p><strong>Beta's Note: I for one think that the lemon was amazing. Give a huge round of applause to this great author.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Please review!<br>**

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	20. Chapter 20

**A round of applause for Anari Cross for being the ever patient beta with my work!**

**Enjoy~!**

Gaara sat at the conference table, his fingers steepled in front of him.

"You're sure this is the only way?" one of the other council members asked. "With how aggressive they've been, he might not make the journey."

"But they know he's here!" argued another member. "If he stays, then they defiantly will track him down; but if he goes, then there is a chance he won't be found!"

"Where do we send him?" asked another.

Gaara was going increasingly agitated. "Look, it doesn't matter where he goes! Naruto just needs to leave the village!"

All four members snapped their eyes to the redhead. "Just get him out." Gaara said, getting up and walking out of the room.

Kankuro ran after his brother. "Look, I know Naruto chose Kiba over you, but you need to think things through!"

Gaara sent wave after wave of death glares in the brunette's direction. "That's beside the point."

"Yes, it is." Kankuro replied. "That's my point. Don't let your feelings get in the way of this decision. You need to figure out where to send him before you just throw him out!"

Gaara gritted his teeth. "We'll ask the Hokage where she wants him; he's her problem anyway."

Kankuro sighed as he watched his brother stomp up the stairs to his office.

* * *

><p>An alarm blared loudly next to the bed. Kiba reached out a hand to smack it, groaning as he did.<p>

"Mmm, 5 more minutes." groaned the blonde nestled in his arms.

Kiba kissed his boyfriend on the forehead. "Ok love." he said as he snuggled back into the bed.

Their plan was dashed when a mad knocking sounded from the door of their hotel room. Naruto groaned and rolled out of the bed, to answer the door.

The person on the other side about had a nosebleed at the sight revealed to him. Naruto stood in a pair of boxer shorts, his golden hair tousled from sleep, and tan skin nearly glowing; the man had the body of a god.

"Wha can I do fer ya?" Naruto mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

The man outside the door just stared on. "I-uh."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "What?" He looked down, finally realizing his state of undress. "Oh." A light pink blush covered his face; something that made him look even more fuckable.

The man handed Naruto a scroll, and dashed away to take care of his "problem" elsewhere.

The blonde shut the door and walked back in to sit on the bed.

"Who was that?" Kiba asked, sitting up.

"Some random shinobi who couldn't seem to talk." Naruto answered. "He gave me this." Naruto lifted the scroll.

"Well, if you answered the door looking like _that_, I don't blame him for not being able to talk." Kiba laughed.

Naruto just blushed heavily in response.

"So, what does the scroll say?" the brunette asked as his laughter died down.

Naruto opened the scroll. "It's from Gaara." Kiba involuntarily growled. "It says I'm to be relocated again because the Akatsuki know I'm here."

"Oh, that makes sense." Kiba said, wrapping his mind around the idea. "But wait! That means I can't see you!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "What?"

"Well, you have to leave, and unless I go with you, I can't know where you are. And I'm not really in any condition for travel right now." he said, gesturing to his cast.

"True." Naruto started, his eyes focused on the cast. He suddenly got up and began to get dressed.

"What are you doing love?"

"I need to go see Gaara." Naruto said as he ran a hand through his hair and slid on his shoes. "I'll be back in a bit."

* * *

><p>Gaara's office door slammed open. "So, you're relocating me, and you weren't even going to talk to me about it?"<p>

"Why hello Uzumaki-kun." Gaara said, not looking up from his paperwork.

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. "Are you mad at me Gaara?"

"Please, Uzumaki-kun, address me with respect." the redhead replied.

"Wow, what are you so pissed about?" Naruto asked. "What did I do to make you this angry at me?"

Gaara sighed and looked up, revealing the pain that was in his teal eyes. "Naruto, I'm trying to be happy for you and Kiba, but I just can't seem to do it! I love you too much to just let you go."

"Gaara…"

"I love you Naruto, and I will be happy for you eventually, but I need to mourn my loss and having you two flaunt it in my own village isn't helping." Gaara said, returning his gaze to his desk.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." Naruto said. "Kiba's leg isn't healed yet, and I was hoping that my relocation could wait until he was better."

"How much longer does he have until the cast comes off?"

"About a week." Naruto answered.

"I see." Gaara shifted some of his papers around his desk. He pulled out a scroll, made a couple notes, and signed it. "Alright, I've written Tsunade. The message is to be sealed and given directly to you. This will hold the location you are to go to. Once you get this message, it will really be up to you when you leave. Tell no one, except those going with you, where you are going. If Kiba is going with you, he will also have to be disguised; as the Akatsuki know you two are together and will be looking for him as well."

Naruto nodded his head. "Thank you Gaara." He walked over and placed a hand on top of the redhead's. "Please Gaara. You know that we could never be. There is someone out there that is even better than I am; someone that will stimulate not only your body, but your heart, your mind, and your soul. I want you to find that person, and I wish you all the happiness in the world."

Gaara nodded his head, unwilling to look up into those blue eyes. Naruto started for the door. "Naruto?" Gaara's voice stopped the man in his tracks.

The blonde turned around.

"If Kiba ever hurts you, I'll crush him myself." Gaara said, fixing a glare at the wall.

Naruto smiled, and turned back to walk out of the office.

* * *

><p>"Hey, you ran off pretty quickly. What was so important?" Kiba asked as Naruto walked back into the room.<p>

"I got my trip postponed until your leg is better so you can go with me. That is, if you want to." Naruto said hopefully.

Kiba's face lit up, and he clumsily got up off the bed to hug Naruto. "Of course I want to go with you!"

Naruto smiled and kissed the man. "Just know that you'll have to hold a disguise while we travel. The Akatsuki know we're together."

Kiba kissed his boyfriend back, putting as much passion as he could into the chaste action. "I love you Naruto. I'll do anything, as long as it means I can stay near you."

* * *

><p>"Kisame."<p>

"What do you want Itachi?" the swordsman asked, grunting at having been woken from his nap.

"Have you heard word from Madara?" Itachi asked, stepping into the small room and closing the door.

Kisame looked up. "Well, not about our mission, but I heard him talking about his new plan!"

Itachi's eyes widened a fraction; a fraction so small, most would miss it, but not Kisame. "So, you want to hear about it?"

"Yes."

Kisame smiled his shark grin. "Well, I hear he's going back after the Kyuubi! But he's not going to take Deidara this time. He's just going to sneak in, take him, and sneak back out. No muss no fuss!"

Fear gripped Itachi's heart. 'I should warn him.' he thought to himself, not letting his panic show. "Did he say when he was going to implement this plan? And why didn't he involve us? You would think having backup would be wise when sneaking into a village with two jinchuriki."

Kisame shrugged. "Who knows! All I know is that he said he was going soon, nothing too specific."

Itachi walked out of the room without another word. 'Goddamnit Madara.'

**AHHH~! IT'S THE RETURN OF THE SCENE CHANGES! Let's hope this calms back down!**

**Hey hyper readers! This story only has a few more chapters! So, now, I'm looking to brainstorm for my next story! Head on over to my profile to vote in a poll and help me pick the next pairing!**

**Geez, I haven't updated in forever! *sigh* just been busy – I was finishing up my other story, and working, and being extremely ill…so, yeah, I hope you all can forgive me!**

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	21. Chapter 21

**Anari Cross, you are the best beta in the world!...you know, when you're not disappearing off the face of the earth….**

**Beta Note: HEY! I only do that when I can't get on. The only time I did that was when I got grounded. I IS SOWWY!**

**Enjoy~!**

"What are you doing?" Kisame asked, pushing open the door to Deidara's room.

The blonde man was sitting there, blowing holes in the walls with small bombs. "I can't believe that fucker tricked me! All those fucking Uchihas are alike!" he growled, throwing another bomb.

"Well, Madara is tricky like that." Kisame laughed.

"How long had you known?" Deidara asked, glaring at the ground.

Kisame tapped his chin. "Well, I guess from the beginning. I do have Itachi as a partner you know!"

Deidara growled at the name. "Fuck." he mumbled, letting a bomb fall from his hand, undetonated.

The shark-man raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so pissed? I mean, sure, he tricked you, but his cover was very convincing! The only reason I figured it out was because Itachi told me."

"Those fucking Uchihas think they're so great with their eyes. Ever since the day I was recruited, I have seen those eyes in my dreams!" He let another bomb fall to the floor. "I just don't understand."

"What don't you understand?" Kisame asked.

Deidara's head snapped up, as if he had forgotten the man was there. "Get out!" he yelled, throwing a bomb at the door.

As the man left, Deidara listened to Kisame's footsteps go down the hall, until they were no more. "Goddamnit Itachi." he whispered. "I don't understand why I can't hate you."

Down the hall, Itachi paced in his room. 'If I leave now, I could get Naruto out of Suna. That way, when Madara goes to find him, he won't be there.' He moved towards the door. 'But, what if I get caught leaving? I'll get killed on sight!' Itachi shook his head. 'No, that doesn't matter. I have to protect Naruto.'

His mind set, Itachi opened his door, and looked down the hallway. Seeing it was clear, he made his way out.

There was movement in the hallway; and Deidara was in no mood to deal with Kisame again. He stood and walked over to his door to shut it in the man's face, only to find Itachi's hurrying past his room.

A slight tightening squeezed Deidara's heart. The blonde ran out into the hall, and chased after Itachi. "Wait!" he hollered.

Itachi's shoulders tensed for a fraction of a second as he halted in his steps. 'Alright, time to think of a cover story.'

Deidara reached the still man and placed a hand on a cloaked shoulder. "Where are you going?" The blonde had no clue why he cared.

"Out."

"Yes, but where?"

"Just for a walk." Itachi said, mentally patting himself on the back for thinking on his feet.

"C-can I go with you?" Deidara asked, confusing even himself.

Itachi turned his head to look at the blonde. "Why would you want to do that? You hate me."

"That's not true!" Deidara shouted, a bit too enthusiastically; he mentally scolded himself. "I mean, I may not like you, but I don't hate you."

Itachi cocked an eyebrow. "Ok, so you don't like me, that still doesn't explain why you want to go on a walk with me."

"I-I…well…." What was he supposed to say? 'Oh, well, I want to talk to you about this random fluttery feeling I get in my stomach whenever I see you.' Uh, no. He may not understand the sensation, but he would never sink so low as to ask an _Uchiha_ for help.

"That's still not an answer." Itachi pointed out. He shrugged the hand off his shoulder. "I really need to get going. Maybe you'll have one for me when I get back."

Deidara was left standing in the hallway, his chest tightening painfully as he watched the man walk away. 'What the hell?'

* * *

><p>"Naruto, come to bed." Kiba called to the man standing next to the window. "It's the middle of the night, and you need to sleep!"<p>

Naruto had been waiting for his message from Tsunade for three days now; he was worried that it had been intercepted. "Yeah, ok." he said absentmindedly, allowing the curtain he was holding fall.

He took three steps to the bed, when suddenly, there was a knock on the window. Blue eyes widened. Naruto ran back to the window, and flung the curtains open to find Itachi sitting on the ledge outside.

Kiba growled behind Naruto as the blonde slid the window open, and Itachi slipped inside.

"Naruto, it's good to see you're well." Itachi said, slipping off his cloak. He figured not wearing the Akatsuki marker might make them more comfortable.

"What are you doing here Itachi?" Naruto asked, ignoring Kiba's increasingly loud growls from behind him.

"I have some intel to share with you. Now, keep in mind, this is just conjecture, but I believe Madara wants to sneak into the village and kidnap you. No fighting, no warning."

"He's going to sneak into the village? How will he manage that?" Naruto asked.

Itachi just cocked an eyebrow. "I keep getting in no problem! I think Madara will have an even easier time."

Naruto blushed at his blunder. "Oh, yeah."

"I think you need to leave this village; before Madara makes his way here." Itachi said with urgency.

"But-"

"No buts! Naruto! He's going to kill you!" Itachi said, throwing his arms up, only to stop when he saw Naruto looking at the brunette in the bed.

"His leg isn't healed yet." Naruto explained, not taking his eyes off his boyfriend. "I can't leave without him."

Itachi groaned in impatience.

"Naruto. It's no use staying here with me if you're going to die! Go, leave a sealed scroll with your location, and I'll catch up once my leg is healed!" Kiba said.

Naruto looked with sad blue eyes at the man. He walked over to the bed, and leaned down, wrapping his arms around Kiba. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." he answered, leaning up to capture the lips of his boyfriend. "I love you Naruto, and a few days apart isn't going to change that! I just want you safe."

Naruto returned the kiss with fervor. "Alright." He straightened back up, and pulled a scroll out of his bag, which was resting on the dresser. "So, where are we going Itachi?" he asked as he pulled out some ink and a brush.

The raven snatched the scroll and brush, and wrote down their eventual location. After re-rolling the scroll, he handed it to the blonde. "No, seal it."

Naruto performed a few handsigns and bit his thumb. He swiped the blood across the side of the scroll, and after a burst of chakra, a seal appeared. He handed it to Kiba. "Don't open it until you're leg is better. If there is an attack, keep it with you, or else burn it. Once it has been unsealed, burn it." he instructed.

"Understood." said Kiba in a professional tone. "I'll meet up with you as soon as I can."

The couple let their lips meet again, and Naruto was dragged back out the window with Itachi.

* * *

><p>Naruto and Itachi ran through the sand, heading towards the forest on the edge of the wind country. "Seriously, where are we going?"<p>

Itachi stopped, and Naruto ran into his back. "You know I can't say it out loud. Madara has ears everywhere. In fact, he's probably already realized that I've got you out of Suna. You're just going to have to trust me."

Naruto nodded in understanding, and they took back off on their path.

Deidara stepped out from behind a tree. "What the hell is he doing with Kyuubi?"

**Ah, another chapter has come and gone. Please let me know what you think with a review!**

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	22. Chapter 22

**Well, Anari Cross has once again turned an otherwise horrible chapter into what you see before you!**

**Enjoy~!**

Madara watched as Naruto followed Itachi out of Suna. "Perfect." he purred. "All according to plan." He silently followed the pair through the sand, and into the forest.

* * *

><p>Naruto and Itachi ran through the forest at top speeds for a day and a half, not once stopping for rest, until at last they stopped at a rundown looking door carved into the side of a hill.<p>

Itachi moved forward, unlocking the complicated looking door and ushered Naruto inside. The room they entered was dark with metal walls and Naruto couldn't stop the shiver that ran down his spine.

"Naruto." Itachi started as he closed the door and locked it behind them. "This used to be an Uchiha hideout. You'll be staying here until its safe." The raven moved across the room to an odd looking machine. After tinkering with it for a few moments, all the lights turned on. "That is the generator." he said, pointing. "It supplies the power to the entire place. We are completely underground, so it is very important that you keep it on."

"What do you mean 'entire place'?" Naruto complained. "This room is tiny!"

Itachi cocked an eyebrow and pointed behind the blonde. Naruto turned to see another door leading out of the room. "Oh."

Itachi led the way through. The door opened to a large hallway with three doors, and the raven moved to the first one. "This is the kitchen." he said as he opened the door. "It has everything you'd need to cook, and the freezer is stocked with food."

Naruto looked around. The cabinets were made of mahogany, and the counters of granite. There was a large dining table, and every type of cooking appliance one's mind could imagine. "Man, this place is nicer than my apartment!"

Itachi laughed and closed the door, moving down the hall to another one. Once open, Naruto saw it led to another hallway. "These are the bedrooms. There are six in all. There is a bed, a dresser, and a bookcase in each room, as well as a bathroom."

The door was shut, and Itachi moved to the door across the hall. "Lastly," he started, opening the door, "we have the training facility. There is a full weapon stock and terrain."

"Whoa." Naruto said, eyes wide as he looked around the huge room. "This is incredible!"

Itachi moved to the far side of the room. "Over here!" he called, waving for Naruto to join him. "This is the back-up generator." he said, pointing to a machine similar to the one in the front room. "If for any reason the power goes out, you'll have to activate this one. There are instructions on the wall. I will warn you, this one does not have the power capabilities that the main one does, but it will keep things running."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "Ok, I'll keep that in mind."

Itachi walked back out of the room into the hallway. "I have to get going. They'll be wondering where I am at headquarters. I'll come get you once the coast is clear."

"Can't I just stay here?" Naruto asked. "It seems to have all the amenities."

"Naruto, the is an _Uchiha_ hideout, and you're hiding from Madara _Uchiha_."

"Oh, yeah." Naruto said, scratching the back of his head.

The blonde walked Itachi to the front door. "I want to thank you for helping me. I don't know why you do it, but thank you."

Itachi turned around and placed a hand on the man's shoulder, then turned and left without another word.

* * *

><p>Kisame's door smashed open. "Where is Madara?" Itachi half-yelled.<p>

The swordsman glared at Itachi. "Why are you asking me?"

"Because you're the only one still here!"

Kisame huffed. "So? How should I know where he went?"

"Went? You mean he left headquarters?" Itachi asked, not caring to hide the fear in his eyes.

"Yeah…why? What's going on?" Kisame asked, shocked at the display of emotion from the man.

"None of your business." Itachi growled. He had wasted another two days getting here from the hideout. 'Does Madara already know where he is?' he wondered as he ran out of Kisame's room. 'God, I hope I make it in time!'

* * *

><p>Kiba sat in the hospital, clawing at his leg. "Oh God! It's so nice to be rid of that cast!"<p>

The doctor laughed. "Yeah, I'd bet!" The doctor pulled out some forms. "Alright, I'm going to need you to fill out this discharge form."

"Alright." Kiba said, taking the clipboard and pen from the man.

"Now, I know you've been doing a lot of resting, but you're not going to want to put too much strain on that leg for at least another month. The bone is healed, but the area of the break is still weak, so be careful." The doctor explained, not even looking at Kiba.

Kiba growled at the rude man. "Well, that's going to be difficult seeing as I'm a shinobi."

"Well, just don't come crying to me when the bone re-breaks." the doctor sighed as he left the room.

'Man, why are doctors such douche-bags?' Kiba wondered. He finished his forms and ran out of the hospital to go and open his sealed scroll.

Inside the room, he performed a few hand seals, and with a small 'pop' the scroll opened. Reading it over, he found a map to what looked like an old hideout of sorts. 'A day and a half travel time, huh? Great.'

He quickly memorized the instructions on the bottom for what appeared to be a chakra lock, and burned the scroll. Kiba grabbed the bag he had packed days ago, and left the room. He stopped at the veterinary clinic to pick up a healed Akamaru, and the pair left Suna far behind.

* * *

><p>Deidara watched as Itachi left through the hideout door. 'Why the hell is he hiding the Kyuubi? What is going on?'<p>

The blonde's body slid down the tree he was leaning against until he was seated on the ground. 'Why do I feel this way? Is it just because he's betraying the organization? No. I don't actually care about our plans. Hell, the only reason I joined was because of….'

'of….'

'Itachi.'

Deidara's eyes widened in shock. 'Those eyes! Those eyes that I hate so much…they reeled me in! I thought I hated them because of the way he could use them to trick me…but….but in reality….I was afraid! Afraid of the power he seemed to have over me. But that power didn't just come from his eyes...'

The blonde stood, and started walking towards the closest outpost village. 'I think I need a drink, this is too much for my mind to handle! I-I'm in love with Itachi Uchiha!'

* * *

><p>A day had passed, and Naruto was already bored. He sat in the room that he had picked out, and picked a scroll from the packed bookshelf.<p>

'Hey, this actually looks interesting.' It was an Uchiha scroll describing a special technique, one that Naruto would someday have to master! He just knew he could!

Blue eyes scanned the hand seal list.

'Horse. Tiger. Rabbit. Boar. Boar. Rat. Ox. Ox. Horse…' A soft clicking noise brought Naruto out of his concentration.

The lights went out.

**Well, you get a short chapter with several scene changes this time. I hope it didn't get too confusing! Please, if it did, feel free to ask questions – if the answer is something that has already happened, I'll try to explain it, but if not…well…I doubt you want me to tell you anyway!**

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><strong>


	23. Chapter 23

**Well, if you haven't figured it out by now, my beta Anari Cross is amazing!**

**Enjoy~!**

Naruto's eyes went wide with shock. "What the hell?" he murmured as he looked at the now dark light source. "Guess I should start up the back-up generator." he said as he pulled himself off the bed.

The blonde moved across the hall, when he saw a shadow. He stopped, his hand on the door handle. 'What was that?' He glanced around, taking a big breath. 'It was nothing! It was just a shadow.' he internally said, trying to calm his own panic. 'God I hate the dark.'

He moved through the training grounds to the back closet. He found a small flashlight, and used the directions to start up the generator.

When Itachi had told him this generator didn't hold as much power at the main one, that was clearly an understatement! The power level was so low that he lights merely cast an eerie yellow glow around the room.

'I think I liked the dark better.' Naruto mused as he headed back into the hallway.

Another shadow.

'Ok, what was _that_?' he wondered, his heart rate rising slightly.

"Who's there?" he called into the glowing hallway.

A cackle filled the area, seeming to come from all directions. "Silly Naruto. You're part of my game now.

* * *

><p>Kiba and Akamaru followed the directions to the hideout. "I can't wait to see him Akamaru!"<p>

_"Am I going to want to wait outside? God knows every noise you make will echo around that place, and I don't want to have to listen to you two getting it on!"_ Akamaru barked.

Kiba just laughed. "Don't worry, I'll let you know."

Akamaru rolled his eyes in a way only a dog can. _"I'd rather you not do it at all!"_

"Now, Akamaru, you know there is no chance of that happening!"

_"That's what I'm afraid of…"_

* * *

><p>The cackle sounded again, louder this time.<p>

"W-who's there?" Naruto demanded. He was scared. Someone had just turned this hideout into a steal deathtrap, and he was letting the man get to him! He was so angry with himself for letting his fear show.

"Aww, wittle Naru is afraid." the voice laughed, the sound still echoing, leaving its source unknown.

"What the hell do you want?" Naruto said, forcing himself not to stutter in fear.

The voice chuckled. "You would think that would be obvious by now, little Kyuubi."

"Madara."

"Yes, it is I, Madara Uchiha. You escaped me once you imbecile, but it won't happen again!"

The man in the orange swirled mask stepped out of the darkness, placing him directly behind Naruto. Blonde hairs stood on the back of Naruto's neck as he felt breath caress his flesh. "I want your power, and once you are done here, you'll beg me to kill you."

With that, Madara disappeared again, his cackle the only reminder of the evil lurking in the shadows.

* * *

><p>Itachi moved through the trees, not paying the slightest bit of attention to his surroundings. The only thing on his mind was getting back to the hideout! He had a bad feeling that Madara knew Naruto was there…and that he might show up too late.<p>

Suddenly, a blonde ponytail blocked his view and caused him to stumble. He looked around. "Deidara? What are you doing here?"

The man hiccupped. "Well, you see, I -hic- was at this outposs town..an I wass -hic- juss comin ta look fer ya!" A lop-sided smile hung on Deidara's face.

"Are you drunk?"

"I-I had a cople!" the blonde slurred.

Itachi shook his head. "I don't have time for this now Dei! Naruto is in trouble!" He shoved past Deidara, not sparing one glance back.

The blonde man sat back against a tree. "Wha does tat ittle idot have tat I dun?" he wondered to himself, tears streaking down his face.

* * *

><p>Naruto moved through the yellow glow and into the bedroom. 'What do I do? Madara has obviously flipped his lid, and now I'm in the middle of it!' The blonde took a couple deep breaths. 'Alright, calm down. Just get back to your room and-'<p>

Naruto pushed open the door to see none other than Madara sitting in the exact place he'd been before the lights went out. Naruto was frozen in shock.

"Ah, Naruto. How nice of you to join me." he said, a wicked smile on his face. "You know, I'll have to thank Itachi later for trapping you here, it really was an excellent choice. And you trusted him so blindly!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You're lying. Itachi wouldn't do that to me."

"Did he never tell you why he's so nice to you?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Why would he do these things, and not tell you why, unless he was trying to trick you!"

"N-no! You're wrong!" Naruto shouted.

Suddenly, Madara rose from the bed; the dim lights casting shadows on his face. "Wrong? My dear boy, I am never wrong." he stated calmly.

Naruto didn't like this. He didn't like this one bit. 'What's that they say? "It's the calm before the storm"? This isn't going to end well…' The blonde turned and ran! He ran as hard as he could. He knew that there was no way to outrun, or even hide from the Uchiha down here, but he could sure as hell try.

Suddenly Kiba appeared before him. "Naruto?"

"Oh God! Kiba! I'm so glad to see you! We need to get out!" Naruto yelled.

"What are you talking about Naruto? What's wrong?" Kiba asked.

Naruto threw his arms around the brunette. "Madara's here, and he has gone fucking insane!"

"Well, you _did _escape very rudely the last time he took you." Kiba reasoned.

Blue eyes snapped up and raked across Kiba's face. "Wh-what? What are you talking about?"

"All I'm saying is that I can see how he snapped. I mean, you are a demon whose only real worth is being a good fuck. I don't know why you're so desperately clinging to life. It might be easier to just give yourself up." Kiba shrugged his shoulders. "It's just a thought."

Naruto's eyes had widened, and his grip had loosened. He began to back slowly away from the man before him. "K-kiba?"

"Yes?" the man responded, a large grin on his face.

"What are you saying?" Naruto asked, tears running down scared cheeks. "You don't love me?"

Kiba laughed. "Why would I? You're fucking worthless! I mean, you're excellent in bed, but be serious Naruto! A relationship can't function purely on sex!" Kiba cackled.

"No." Naruto whimpered. "No, this isn't you Kiba!"

"Well, then, who am I?"

"I don't know!" Naruto cried, his vision blurring. "If you are Kiba, where is Akamaru? Let Akamaru tell me who you are, then I'll believe you!"

"You idiot, Akamaru is a _dog_! How the hell to you expect to understand him?" Kiba laughed.

Naruto's eyes widened even more if that was possible. "B-but I can understand Akamaru! Just like you!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I knew it…"

* * *

><p>Kiba and Akamaru reached the front entrance of the hideout. "Ug, about time!" he called.<p>

_"Wait! Don't you smell that Kiba?" _Akamaru barked.

"Smell what?"

_"There is something evil here."_ Akamaru barked, his tail in between his hind legs. _"I don't think we should go in."_

Kiba looked at the door. "If there is something evil in there, then that's all the more reason to go in! Naruto is in there!"

The brunette walked forward, and started pulling at the necessary leavers in the correct order to unlock the overly complicated door. "I have to save him."

**Yes, yes, the scene changes...*sigh* there are just so many people involved in this part of the plot, and none of them are in the same spot! However, as they start to converge, the scene changes will calm down! So please, just bear with me!**

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><strong>

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><strong>


	24. Chapter 24

**Well, Anari Cross, you've done it again! You win the best beta ever award!**

**Enjoy~!**

Naruto watched in horror at the man he once thought was Kiba started to step towards him. "What d-do you want?" he screamed.

"Well, little Naru, I thought that was obvious." Kiba said in Madara's voice. A toothy grin stretched across his face. "I want you to break."

Blue eyes widened as the Kiba pulled out a kunai. "Now, beg me for your life Naruto. Beg!" he howled.

"NO!" Naruto cried as he ran down the hall, surprising the brunette slightly. The Kiba made chase.

* * *

><p>Akamaru barked as Kiba opened the door. <em>"Look over there!"<em>

Kiba looked over. "The generator has been smashed!"

_"I don't like the look of this! Maybe we should head back and get help."_

"I can't just leave Naruto in there alone!" Kiba shouted. "But you're right, we can't do this alone! Not if Madara Uchiha could be involved. Go back and get Gaara; he'll know what to do! I'm going in to help Naruto say alive!"

_"Be careful Kiba! You're leg has just healed!"_ Akamaru barked. The large dog turned. "_You sure you won't come with me?"_ But Kiba had already plunged into the eerie glowing hallway.

* * *

><p>Itachi ran for the hideout door, and immediately noticed that both the outer door, and the internal door was open. 'What the hell?' he wondered as he approached with caution.<p>

He glanced around the main room. 'The generator is smashed!' He activated his sharingan. 'Damnit! He's already here!' He stepped into the hallway. 'Ok, first thing first, I must find Naruto.'

* * *

><p>"Naruto!" a voice called from behind the blonde.<p>

Naruto turned around to see Kiba running towards him. "Get away from me!" he screamed, gaining a high burst of speed.

Kiba was confused. "Naruto! Come back! What is going on?"

The blonde ran into the training area, aiming for the weapon stockroom. "You fucker! Get away!" He whipped open the door to the oversized closet and ran inside, closing the thick metal door behind him.

Naruto quickly looked around for something to jam it with, but not before Kiba caught up with him.

The brunette stood just outside the door. "Naruto? Naruto what is going on? Why are you running from me?"

"Because you're chasing me numbnuts!" Naruto yelled, trying to stall for time before Kiba realized he could open the door. He glanced around and grabbed a few kunai off a shelf.

"I wasn't chasing you! I was looking for you!" Kiba tried to explain.

"Whatever you want to fucking call it Madara, I don't care!" Naruto yelled, tears running down his face. "Why did you have to use Kiba?"

"What are you talking about Naruto? I just got here!" Kiba yelled, getting frustrated.

"Kiba, tell me that you love me." Naruto said.

"What?" Kiba said. "Naruto…"

"TELL ME YOU LOVE ME!" More tears streamed down scarred cheeks.

"Naruto. I love you so much. I have loved you for as long as I can remember and-"

"HEY!" a voice screamed from behind Kiba. The brunette turned around to find himself. "What the hell?" muttered the new Kiba.

"What are you doing here?" asked the one by the door. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm Kiba Inuzuka! Who are you?" the Kiba in the middle of the room yelled. "Naruto?" he called. "Are you back there?"

Naruto froze with shock. There were two voices out there, and they were both Kiba! He stepped forward and eased the door open a crack. "W-what's going on? K-kiba?" he asked.

"Yes?" they both answered in unison.

Blue eyes widened. "What's going on?"

"Naruto!"the farther Kiba yelled. "Oh thank God you're ok! When I got here and saw the smashed generator, I was so worried!"

The closer Kiba glared. "Shut up you impostor!" he shouted. "Naruto, I'm the real Kiba!"

Naruto glanced in between them, unsure of what to think. His grip tightened on the kunai in his hand. 'H-how am I supposed to tell the difference? What if they're both fake!' He glared up at them. 'They are, aren't they! Madara is trying to fuck with my head!'

The Kibas looked over at him. "Naruto?" they both said.

"Shut up." the blonde muttered.

"What's wrong?" the farther Kiba asked, concern laced through his voice.

"Shut up!" Naruto said, louder this time.

"But Narut-" the closer Kiba was cut off.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Naruto screamed. "Just shut up! Both of you just shut up!"

Both Kibas went wide-eyed, but stayed silent.

"You guys aren't real. Madara is fucking with me." Naruto muttered, clutching his head. "I-I just…"

The farther Kiba started to move towards the blonde, wanting to comfort the upset man.

"Stop!" Naruto yelled, holding out his kunai. "Don't come any closer!"

"Naruto. Do you remember what I said about the nurse in the elevator?" The Kiba nearest to the blue eyed ninja asked.

"Of course I do. Quit fucking with me Madara. Only Kiba would know that." Naruto said.

"That's my point Naruto. I am the real Kiba. Remember? I greeted you saying 'Hey babe.'. You kissed me and the nurse ran away. Then, you asked me' 'How was the ride down?' and I said 'Pretty smooth. I even got to make all the blood drain from that nurse's face! It was really fun!'." Kiba said desperately.

Naruto looked towards the Kiba furthest from him. When he looked, he saw the Kiba compose his face. Not before he saw the confusion though. Naruto edged towards the Kiba nearest to him.

"K-Kiba?" He said before launching himself at him.

They broke apart when they hear a furious growl from behind them. They looked just in time to see the fake Kiba's face melt into Madara's.

"Now you die!" He said before launching himself at the two lovers.

* * *

><p>Itachi ran through the hallway, searching for some sign of Naruto.<p>

He started in the kitchen. Once he pulled open the door, he scanned the room with his sharingan. 'Nope.' he thought as he ran back out.

The raven moved back down the hall to the bedroom wing. He moved to the first room. 'Nope.'

"Stop!" came a voice from behind him.

'Naruto.' He immediately latched onto that voice, and headed in that direction. He had to find Naruto.

He slammed open the door to the training area.

"Now you die!" screamed Madara as he launched himself at Naruto and Kiba.

"No!" Itachi yelled. He ran over, grabbing Madara by the arm. "You will not hurt him!"

Itachi threw Madara into a wall. "You fucking traitor!" Madara grunted. "You'll pay for this!"

Madara pulled his arm out of Itachi's grasp and made some hand signs. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" he called as he shot a large fireball across the room.

Kiba dived and covered Naruto.

"Amaterasu!" cried Itachi, sending black flames in Madara's direction.

The elder man jumped out of the way and hurdled several kunai in Itachi's direction. Kunai that was diverted with kunai belonging to Itachi.

Madara growled; he really didn't want to fight Itachi. "Fuck this." he mumbled as he turned his body towards Naruto and Kiba. He once again performed some of his favorite hand signs. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"NO!" Itachi ran at the couple, stepping in the path of the fireball, fully prepared to die in that moment. But death never came. Instead, his vision was obstructed….by blonde hair…

**so, yeah...thanks to Anari for helping me write part of the double Kiba scene!**

**Please review!**

**_Please don't forget to go to my profile and vote for my next pairing!_  
><strong>

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	25. Chapter 25

**Anari Cross is the best beta ever!**

**Enjoy~!**

Itachi peeked open one eye, and watched as the body in front of him collapsed. "No…" he whispered, dropping to his knees. He caught the body, and pulled the blonde's head in his lap. "Dei, why?"

Deidara coughed, his featured slightly burned. "Itachi." he groaned out, pain leaking into his voice.

"Deidara!" Tears streamed down Itachi's face as he held the blonde close to him.

"Itachi…I've come to a realization in the last couple days." Deidara reached a shaky hand up to wipe a tear from Itachi's eye. "I-I love you Itachi. I always have, and I always will."

Onyx eyes widened. "Wh-what? What are you saying?"

"I love you, but I'm not long for this world. I'll die knowing that I protected the only person I truly loved." Deidara whispered, his voice hoarse from pain.

"No! You can't die!" Itachi cried. "Not now! Not after I know…." He was silenced by a single finger on his lips.

"Ssh. Take him down. Take Madara and his whole world domination plan out." Deidara said. "You must avenge me."

"I love you Deidara." Itachi said.

A sweet smile lit Deidara's face. He reached his hand up and cupped Itachi's cheek, pulling the man down. Their lips met in a chaste kiss that spoke more passion than anyone could comprehend.

As Itachi pulled away, he watched Deidara's blue eyes close….and not reopen.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this touching moment," Madara started, sauntering up to Itachi, "but it looks like he's dead!"

Itachi's gaze slowly rose to meet Madara's, and he was quick enough to see the fear that flashed through the elder man's eyes. "You. Will. PAY!"

Madara's eyes were quick enough to catch's Itachi's movement, but even his body was not quick enough to stop it.

Itachi plunged a kunai directly into Madara's jugular vein, slicing it in half, and allowed the body to slump to the floor. "You killed him. Now we will sit for the two full minutes it will take to let all the blood from your body."

Madara's eyes widened as he groped the wound, trying to hold the edges of the vein together, but to no avail. Two minutes later, Madara was dead.

Itachi stood still, bathed in the arterial blood spatter. His eyes glowing red as he watched the evil man at his feet die.

"I-Itachi?" came a voice from behind him.

The raven whirled around to see Naruto standing behind him, tan hand outstretched, fear laced into blue eyes. Itachi dropped to his knees, sitting in the pool of Madara's blood, and began to bawl. "H-he's dead!"

Naruto ran to his savior, and wrapped his arms around him. "It's ok Itachi. You killed him as homage to Deidara!"

Itachi's head snapped up. Naruto was obviously confused. "No! I don't give a fuck about Madara! B-but…Deidara…."

Itachi looked behind Naruto to see several medic-nins working around Deidara. "What's going on?" he asked.

Naruto looked back. "Well, while you sat there, watching Madara bleed to death, Gaara got here with a team of medics! They said Deidara is badly hurt, but's he's alive. He's just unconscious." the blonde explained.

Itachi looked back into Naruto's blue eyes, and stood up, making his way to the still body. "I-is he going to be ok?"

One of the medics looked up into the blood-red sharingan of Itachi Uchiha, and immediately flinched. "I believe we got here just in time. It may take awhile, but he should be fine."

A large grin appeared on Itachi's face as more tears, this time of joy, spilled down his cheeks. "He's going to be ok!"

* * *

><p>Kiba and Naruto decided not to go back to Suna with the others. "I'm so sick of sand!" Naruto had said. "I just want to go home!"<p>

Kiba was also not too keen on them going back to Suna. There was a certain redhead he wanted to keep away from his blonde.

So, the pair ended up just going back to Konoha.

"NARUTO!" called several people waiting at the front gates.

Sakura ran forward. "Naruto! I was so worried!" she squealed as she hugged the blonde.

"Oh, there was no reason to be worried Sakrua-chan!" Naruto said, patting the pinkette on the back.

"What do you mean there was no reason to worry?" she yelled back, completely forgetting her compassion from the previous moment.

Kiba stood behind the blonde, just watching. 'Wow, bipolar much?'

"You've been gone for well over a month Uzumaki!" Sakura yelled. "No one knew where you were! The only reason we're all here now is that the Hokage got a note from the Kazekage saying you were on you were way back home!"

"S-sakrua-chan..." Naruto started, fearing violence, "I was on a secret mission in Suna! I couldn't exactly tell you! Besides Kakashi-sensei knew!"

The kunoichi rounded on their former sensei. "Is that true?"

Kakashi simply nodded.

"Then why didn't you tell us while we were all running around looking for him?" Sakura said, her voice oddly calm.

"It was a _secret_ mission, as in, you can't know!" Kakashi reminded her with a flick of his wrist.

A look came over Sakura's face as if she'd just been slapped. "Oh." she muttered.

Neji walked up to Naruto, glaring at Kiba all the way. "So, Naruto. Have you given any thought to what we discussed before you left?"

Kiba smirked and walked up closer to Naruto. "You sound confident."

Neji smirked at the brunette. "I'm sorry, was I talking to you?"

"I have thought about it Neji!" said Naruto, not wanting the men to argue.

Neji's face became increasingly smug.

"Kiba and I are a couple!" the blonde announced happily, grasping the brunette's hand.

The smug look on Neji's face immediately disappeared, much to Kiba's pleasure. But, Kiba was the jealous type, so just to make sure that everyone understood that Naruto was his, he pulled on the tan hand in his own until Naruto's body was flush against his own. He bent down and captured the delicious lips of his lover, diving his tongue into the man's mouth.

Eyes throughout the group went wide, there were even some nosebleeds from the homoerotic display.

"Well." Kakashi started, trying to break the awkward moment. "I'll just leave you to that and catch up with you later." He turned and walked away, feeling a distinct need to see his own lover.

Several murmurs were heard through the welcome group, and most of them were gone by the time Kiba pulled away.

A heavy blush covered Naruto's face. "Kiba!" he hissed. "What was that for?"

"So that Hyuuga knows that he can't have you." Kiba growled.

"What are you talking abou-" Naruto was pulled away from Kiba and someone was kissing him!

"HEY!" Kiba yelled, pulling Sai off Naruto. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Is that not how friends greet each other?" Sai asked innocently.

"No Sai! Kiba only did that because he's my boyfriend." Naruto explained.

"Yes, he's your boy friend. Am I not also one of your male friends?" Sai asked.

"Yes you're my friend, but Kiba is more than a friend. He's – argh! How do I explain this?"

"Sai, Naruto and I are a couple." Kiba tried.

"Yes, you're a couple of people, but I don't see how that's relevant." Sai stated, eyes wide.

Kiba wanted to smash his head into a wall…

"Um, we…we're….um, well…"Naruto was stumbling over his words, searching for just the right ones.

"We're fucking each other Sai." Kiba blurted. Naruto elbowed the man next to him, and shot a glare.

"Oh." Sai said. "Why didn't you just say so?"

Naruto face palmed. "It's what we were trying to say, but with more eloquent words."

"Well, I suppose you're tired, I'll let you two go." Sai said, turning to leave.

"Sai?" Naruto said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Sai said, fixing Naruto with one of his patented fake smiles.

The blonde pulled from Kiba's grasp and moved to Sai's side. "You know you can't fool me with that smile." he whispered. Sai's emotionless eyes somehow looked sad to Naruto. "So, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. My good friend is happy. But there is an underlying feeling I don't understand." Sai said, his brows knitting.

"And what's that? Maybe I can explain it." Naruto said, placing a hand on Sai's shoulder.

"I'm happy for you, but for some reason, I seem to dislike Kiba. I never have in the past, but I do now."

"Sai, d-do you have a crush on me?" Naruto asked.

"Huh?"

"Do you like me as more than a friend?"

"You mean the way Kiba likes you?"

"Yeah."

Sai turned to look at Naruto. "I guess I've never really thought about it before."

"Well?" Naruto asked.

"I don't think so." Sai said. "I mean, I don't feel the need to have sex with you."

"Really? Because it sounds like you're jealous of Kiba." Naruto said. "Maybe you're jealous of our relationship – maybe you want one of your very own."

"What are you talking about?" the raven asked.

"You know what? I think you should go and request a mission to Suna and talk to Gaara!" Naruto said, the gears turning in his head. 'Hell yes!' inner Naruto shouted.

"Do you think that will help?"

"Yes, I think it will help a lot!" Naruto exclaimed, patting Sai on the back. "So, now, I'm off. You were right before, Kiba and I are tired. I think I'm going to go and take a nap. I'll see you later Sai!" Naruto turned around and made his way back to Kiba.

"What was that all about?" the brunette asked.

"Just doing a favor for a friend."

**Well, there is just one more chapter! I'm thinking about doing a sequel! Let me know what you think!**

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